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  How many leaves??
From: ken at spatulacity.com on 2003.08.16 at 03:46:59(10483)
I got two very nice Amorphophallus bulbifers earlier this year from the
nice people at Gardino Nursery. The Amorphophallus issue of Aroideana says
that A. bulbifer has solitary or paired leaves. Both of mine are now
growing their *third* leaf (simultaneous, all three are there at once)! How
unusual is that and does it have any implications?

-Ken

From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at worldonline.nl> on 2003.08.16 at 11:33:42(10484)
THE implication is that the plant is feeling VERY good! It is not as unusual
as may be led to believe from my Aroideana paper........

Wilbert

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From: "Peter C Boyce" levieux.jardin at wanadoo.fr> on 2003.08.16 at 11:58:00(10485)
I can't comment with regard Amorphophallus, but I've had Typhonium venosum
(which the literature often says is solitary leaved) with four leaves
simultaneously, the largest 1.5 m tall with a leaf blade 1 meter in diameter
and the smallest 0.75 tall and 0.5 cm in diameter and regularly with three
leaves simultaneously. Plants with this many leaves went on to produce
exceptionally large tubers (maximum 1.25 kg with a diameter of 30.5 cm.

Peter

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From: "Ron" ronlene at adelphia.net> on 2003.08.16 at 13:12:09(10486)
Do each of the leaves have their own petiole, or is it one petiole
branching? Ron

-----Original Message-----

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From: "Petra Schmidt" petra at plantdelights.com> on 2003.08.16 at 14:48:55(10487)
I've also seen the multiple leafing process in Amorphophallus tubers from
tissue culture...tc plantlets typically produce leaf after leaf after leaf
in the first growing season, probably a method of building up its root
system to form a tuber size large enough to sustain itself through dormancy
and the following growing season? It's an odd thing to witness...
Petra

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From: Neil Gordon neil at ng23.abelgratis.co.uk> on 2003.08.16 at 22:45:32(10489)
How big do the leaves of A. Bulbifer grow, I found one at my local
Succulent nursery last week, and I bougt one, the corm was about 3.5
inches across and the leaf is now 15" high and about 12" across.

Neil

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From: ken at spatulacity.com on 2003.08.17 at 00:44:00(10490)
Each has its own petiole. Can petioles branch? I've never heard of such a
thing.
-Ken

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From: "Mitch ." iamwhatiam52 at hotmail.com> on 2003.08.17 at 01:45:58(10491)
My experience with Amorphophallus is limited to konjac since I seem to be
unusually adept at killing any others I try to grow, but I have also grown
Typhonium (Sauromatum) venosum for years. In konjac, multiple leaves ALWAYS
result in the same number of corms instead of one BIG corm, while in
venosum, many leaves usually result in one big corm. Both also produce
offsets regardless of how many leaves. My point is that Typhonium may
behave differently from Amorphophallus.
As to why Amos produce multiple leaves, sometimes they just do for no reason
I've been able to observe, but most of the time it seems to be due to
damage, or size. If a growing tip is damaged by cold, rot or a clumsy fool
with a shovel, it produces multiple buds. I've seen as many as 15 on one
large tuber. When tubers get larger than a bowling ball (25 pounds) they
seem to "want" to split up. Perhaps Mother Nature knows this is as big as
they are supposed to get. I have tricked Mom by cutting off extra buds,
but it's not nice to fool Mother Nature......... the huge corms are not
fully absorbed, leaving a messy remnant of the old tuber under the new one,
usually partly rotted. After cutting them off to protect my prized giant,
the remnant grows multiple buds the following season.
Mitch

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From: "Peter C Boyce" levieux.jardin at wanadoo.fr> on 2003.08.17 at 06:18:03(10493)
Hi Ron

Each leaf has their own petiole and each leaf emerges from the tiny sheath
at the base of the previous, with the primary leaf practically ruptured
basally.

Pete

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From: Dietmar Kiehlmann Kiehlmann at gmx.de> on 2003.08.17 at 11:23:13(10494)
Some weeks ago, we observed on one of our Am. bulbifer
that a second petiole emerged about 4 cm above the soil
from the existing petiole. Later, this second petiole broadened
downwards, as shown on the picture. The arrow indicates
the original emerging point. Hence branching of petioles is
possible within the genus Amorphophallus and, as Wilbert
wrote to us, is also known e.g. from A. paeoniifolius and
A. glossophyllus.

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From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2003.08.17 at 12:47:56(10495)
Hello all Friends,

Perhaps my 'slant' of this multiple leaves produced by one tuber topic may give an 'off-base' explanation that may satisfy some.
Bear in mind that some/several genera of aroids are VERY adaptable plants, they rapidly modify their growth forms and patterns in response to their surroundings, so that when these surroundings change, either by a 'natural' event (a tree-fall or forest fire, for example) or are changed by humans for their 'benefit' such as a jungle 'slash-and-burn' or clear-cut, or by being brought into cultivation by an avid plant collector and placed in a better lighted situation, their tubers or rhizomes now potted and lovingly enclosed by extra-nutritious and better drained soil, then provided with water and fertilizer on a regular basis, all sorts of changes can and do take place.
Man has taken advantage of this tendency in this group of plants in many ways. In the case of the genus Xanthosoma, and some Colocasia sps. the plants when cultivated in specific ways then produce economically satisfactory quantities of edible off-shoot bulbils/rhizomes. These 'offshoots' seldom occur if the plant is just left to its own devices, it will just grow to a large size with none or few off-shoot rhizomes.
Amorphophallus is one of the aroid genera in which some selected species are cultivated as food crops, and other 'wild' growing species are collected as food. There is a most interesting article on the cultivation of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius in the latest issue of our 'Aroideana' where this species is 'manipulated' by man to even produce a certain sized uniform shaped tuber that is best suited to mans marketing needs.
So in nature, as Peter Boyce pointed out, the 'wild' Amorphophallus sps. that he has observed may mostly have a single leaf, but if these are brought into cultivation and placed under the conditions I outlined above, it would not and does not surprise me that a species known to have but a single leaf under 'natural' conditions would produce more than one leaf in response to the improved state of cultivation being provided by its loving owner!
I hope this helps.

Good Growing,

Julius Boos,
WPB,
FLORIDA

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From: "Peter C Boyce" levieux.jardin at wanadoo.fr> on 2003.08.17 at 14:10:40(10496)
Dear Margret & Dietmar

I don't think that is a branched petiole. I think that what you have
observed is a second, separate, leaf emerging through the very narrow
petiolar sheath that is present in all aroids.

Peter

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From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2003.08.17 at 14:11:13(10497)
Dear Margret and Dieter,

I do not believe that true 'branching' can take place in any aroid. As Peter Boyce explained, new entire leaves w/ petioles are produced from a previous leaf sheath or cataphyll which is always located at the base of the previous older petiole/leaf, or in the case of some cataphylls on the apex of a dormant tuber.
No aroid produces a new leaf from any area of a previous petiole except from the sheath at its base. No photo came with your posting.

Good Growing,

Julius

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From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at worldonline.nl> on 2003.08.17 at 18:24:53(10499)
Dear Dietmar & Margret,

I did tell you about multiple leaves but NEVER about branching petioles.
That just doesn't happen in this world unless it is a "Lusus Naturae" (a
freak!).

Cheerio,
Wilbert

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From: "Ron" ronlene at adelphia.net> on 2003.08.17 at 20:17:16(10500)
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the response. Most plants have secondary leaf buds that
activate when the primary leaf is damaged or removed. It may also
activate if the plant is traumatized. Usually, its part of the survival
mechanism. Perhaps these plants are genetically altered, or the primary
leaf is not providing adequate nutrients for the plant. Ron

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From: "Ron" ronlene at adelphia.net> on 2003.08.17 at 20:23:42(10501)
I could not find the picture. Ron

-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of Dietmar Kiehlmann

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From: Dietmar Kiehlmann Kiehlmann at gmx.de> on 2003.08.17 at 20:24:05(10502)
Dear Peter, Dear Julius

It?s well known to us that normally a second petiole emerges
between cataphylls and the first petiole. In these cases the petioles
are completely separated, at least, so far we could see this, above
the soil.

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From: Dietmar Kiehlmann Kiehlmann at gmx.de> on 2003.08.17 at 23:07:06(10503)
Dear Wilbert,

of course, you never told us about branching petioles, but only
about multiple leaves/petioles. We used the expression ?branching?
not thinking over the correct botanical meaning.

Please forgive us.

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From: "alan_gal at bellsouth.net" alan_galloway at bellsouth.net> on 2003.08.17 at 23:12:58(10504)
Noted from moderator -- If you're interested in Margret & Dietmar's
pictures, please email them directly at: Kiehlmann@gmx.de

------

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