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  gigas question
From: cokerra at bellsouth.net (Russell Coker) on 2007.09.21 at 13:37:17(16314)
Hi everyone.

I have a little problem and I hope someone can answer a couple of questions.

Mobile, Alabama, was the host city for the Southern Plant Conference a few weeks ago. I was not able to attend, but a friend told me there was an Amorphophallus gigas in the silent auction. Well, I managed to win it for 25 bucks so I has pretty happy with that.

To my horror she brought me what appears to be konjac, with 2 leaves about 6 inches tall in a one gallon pot . BTW, I've been digging up konjac in my garden and throwing them away, if anyone wants any. I have to admit that the pictures on the Am gigas page do seem to look like giant konjac. The leaves have died down (just like my konjacs are starting to do) so I dumped out the pot to find 2 tubers about 1 inch across with 3 stolons each.

So, does a young gigas look like konjac? Does gigas spread by stolons or is it solitary? I figure I already know the answer to these questions, but want to be certain before I contact the person/arboretum who provided the plant.

Russell Coker

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From: ronmchatton at aol.com (ronmchatton at aol.com) on 2007.09.21 at 14:49:47(16316)
Russell:

Unfortunately you, more than likely, got a couple of small konjac offsets.? Last year there was some guy in California selling on ebay all sorts of unusual Amorphophallus species and they also were small konjacs.? Amorphophallus gigas does not offset and even very small seedlings look nothing like konjac other than that all Amorphophallus have the same three-branched leaf shape.? The petiole markings?and leaflet shape and color of gigas are?distinctly different from those of?konjac.

Ron McHatton

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From: cokerra at bellsouth.net (Russell Coker) on 2007.09.24 at 14:56:05(16329)
Hi Ron.

I had a bad feeling that someone would confirm my fears. Of course I wish I could have seen the plant before I bought it, but since it came from a reputable source I didn't give it a second thought.

Guess I bought a pig in a poke!

Russell

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From: kylefletcherbaker at yahoo.com (Kyle Baker) on 2007.09.25 at 14:06:52(16334)
A few left over konjac tubers would be loving received here to replace the amorphs that were left out last winter mistakenly by dad ...

kfb
45 russells hill rd.

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