RE: [Aroid-l] Konjac bloom question

From: "Charles Gramling" <chazmg1 at citlink.net> on 2007.05.07 at 20:00:19(15657) Thanks to all for some pointers on where to look. I would not have thought putrescine and cadaverine would have been the names coined, and appropriately so, for the compounds that make up the aroma. It still amazes me that you could almost see the stalk growing, putting it somewhere between the weeds in my garden and a snail. The heat the spadix generates is just icing on the unusual process. I had the tuber in my store during the growth phase and it attracted much attention and comment. On Monday of last week after reaching 35" the dead mouse smell, or so it seemed to me (I know that one well), was more than appropriate and I moved it outdoors until Friday. The bloom was still in pretty good shape almost 1 week later which was surprising. It is also fun to tell folks who the beastie's relatives are. All in all a very satisfying event. Chuck Gramling +More -----Original Message----- On Behalf Of Douglas Ewing Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 11:17 AM To: Discussion of aroids Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Konjac bloom question Chuck, much of what is known about this process was started by work done by the late Baastian Meeuse who did his research primarily on Sauromatum guttatum here at the Univ. of Washington. Hanna Skubatch worked with him near the end of his life, and continued on with investigating this process. You will find publications that deal with the unusual respiratory pathway that the mitochondria that are concentrated in the spadix utilize to produce heat. Meeuse was born in the early 1900s in Bogor, Indonesia ( Dutch colony at that time). His family returned to the Netherlands for his high school and university training. He joined the faculty of the Dept. of Botany here in the early 1950's. Throughout his life, he remained a passionate student ( and teacher) of all aspects of biology, but he had a particular fondness for pollination systems, biochemistry, and aroids. I remember him with fondness, Doug _________________/\/\/\______________________ Doug Ewing, Greenhouse Manager (206) 543-0436 Department of Biology University of Washington Box 351800 24 Kincaid Hall ( for UPS and FEDEX) Seattle, WA 98195-1800 On Sun, 6 May 2007, Peter Matthews wrote: > > Dear Chuck, > > I think one of the main authors on the biochemistry of aroid flowering > (generation of heat and aromatic compounds by the spadix) is Meuse > (spelling?). > > My own specimen of konjac has just flowered here in Kyoto (now beginning > to decay, 5th May), after an unusually warm winter. > > Peter > > > On 5/2/2007, "Charles Gramling" wrote: > >> I have just experienced my first bloom. While reading about the amazing >> growth is one thing, seeing it is something else. I have not seen any >> discussion of what occurs that allows that amazing conversion of stored >> energy in to the flower. I almost thought that the tuber itself should be >> warm with the effort. Is there anything available on this process and what >> compounds are released during the bloom? >> >> >> >> Chuck Gramling >> >> >> >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Aroid-l mailing list > Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com > http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l > _______________________________________________ Aroid-l mailing list Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l _______________________________________________ Aroid-l mailing list Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

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