Amorphophallus titanum

From: "Paul Kruse" pkruse2000 at earthlink.net> on 2000.02.06 at 17:34:56(4057) I am a retired biological oceanographer with a minor in botany, from the University of Miami (C.G.). In 1980 I planted three A. titanum corms in my yard at Naples, Florida. The soil there is calcareous with a pH of around 8.2 and is poor in nutrients. The area experiences long dry spells. In spite of these conditions, and without any cultural assistance, the plants grew to about three feet in height. They were exposed to quite a bit of direct sunlight. The plants went dormant in the winter and came up the following spring. In 1983 two of the plants produced dinner plate sized blooms. I did not write this up because I felt the plants posed no cultural difficulties. I moved to St. Croix (U.S.V.I.) in 1985. The soil and growing conditions there were similar to Florida, with the exceptions of mild winters. Three years ago I received a plant from a botanist friend of mine, who owned a large commercial nursery on the island. Her two plants were between three and four feet in height and had received no care. St. Croix is considered a dry island and the summers there can often be a six months drought period. When I dug up my plant there were no roots and the corm was about the size of a grapefruit. +More I planted it in potting soil and when it sprouted the next year it grew to nine feet in height. Living in an apartment and not having an outside growing area, the plant was somewhat spindly and the petiole required support. I brought the corm with me when I returned to Naples. Under a 140 watt grow light it hs reached nine feet in height and is rather spindly. I have now substituted two 100 watt lamps in an effort to determine the minimum amount of light for growers who have to keep their plants inside. My botanist friend also considered the plants to be very hardy. Paul Kruse

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