Hand Pollination of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius

An infructescence that resulted from a successful pollination.

If all goes well with the hand pollination attempt, the result will be an infructescence with hundreds of ripening berries like this one. My pollination attempt failed, but I can try again in two years when the tuber should flower again.

Note the withered appendix at the top of the infructescence. The berries ripen from the top downward. Amorphophallus seed should be planted very shortly after ripening as they lose their viability very quickly if stored dry.

This page was created by Scott Hyndman for the I.A.S. on January 7, 2001.