Re: Typical seed count of Amorphophallus titanum

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 2000.07.05 at 21:50:30(4984) Huntington did get seed via an unusual self pollination procedure. This may have been the first time this type of process has been successful. I heard that one of the major US news stations picked the story of their seedlings in the last day or so. We did have about 200 or so berries at Selby, but not all the fruits contained seeds. We got about 80 seeds in all. I did not count them all exactly because a few berries were distributed early by other people at Selby and I don't know how many of these contained seeds. Some berries contained two seeds but many contained only one. However, most of the seeds germinated, even the very small ones that I thought might not be viable. Huntington's plant produced an awesome looking infructescence but this was deceiving. I think they only got a few seeds, but I don't know the total number. Many berries formed but most were void since they only pollinated a few of the stigmas. BTW, There is another Amorphophallus titanum preparing to flower at Bonn Botanical Garden. This immense inflorescence may almost reach the proportions of the record setting flower at New York Botanical Garden in 1937. NYBG had the largest documented inflorescence in cultivation. Bonn is predicting their plant will flower around July 10. Check their web site for daily updates (http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/botgart/info.htm#aktuell). Most of their information is in german but you will find some english here and the charts and photos will tell the story. Very seldom have seeds been obtained in cultivation. Bonn managed to obtain seeds in 1996, and they reported 450 berries and of these about 70% had two seeds. Leiden obtained a few seeds in 1999 and Palmengarten distributed seed around 1993 or so in their Index Seminum. Two of these plants from the Palmengarten seed flowered last year: one at Univ. of Washington Seattle and the other at Huntington. Pollination has been attempted recently at Cal State Fullerton using pollen stored from the Huntington flowering of 1999. Don't know yet if they have been successful. Don't think its a good idea to "divide" the A. titanum tubers although there are rare times when the tubers may offset in cultivation. The only way to reliably propagate this plant is via seed. Time from seed to flowering varies, usually at least 5-8 years are required under optimal conditions but earlier flowerings have been recorded. Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More << The current issue of Hobby Greenhouse Magazine (http://www.orbitworld.net/hga/) has an article called "Famous Blooms Reveal the Fruits of Their Labor". It talks about self pollination of A. titanum at Huntington Botanical Gardens. The article did not say how many seeds were produced from this self pollination. But it did say that two blooms at Shelby (not selfed) produced 220 "bright orange berries" which I assume will produce about 220 or so fertile seeds. When two flowers mature at about the same time in the wild, about how many seeds are produced? When one is lucky enough to have two flowers bloom about the same time in a botanical garden, what are typical seed counts? I assume that A. titanum can reproduce by tubers? That is to say, could I divide a plant's tubers and send them to friends so they could start a plant? Generally speaking, about what is the time frame from seed to flower for A. titanum? Would a plant started from seed, flower any sooner than a plant started from a tuber? Thank you for putting up with my many questions. As money permits, I hope to buy more back issues of Aroideana and answer many of the above questions myself. >>

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