Saturday, August 4, 2012

Rise of the Amorphophallus

Amorphohallus bulbifer Stems and New Leaves
Amorphohallus bulbifer Stems and New LeavesAmorphohallus bulbifer Stems and New Leaves
Sometime in mid-July, just when we have lost hope that they will come back, these Amorphophallus bulbifer emerge from the ground almost overnight. The foliage and mottled stems are striking to look at. Three years ago we posted about the A. bulbifer and the stray Arisaema consanguineum that is mixed in. The A. consanguineum comes up a full month to two months before the A. bulbifer.

We’ve never seen these A. bulbifer bloom. Then again, they might be a little shy given what their generic name means. According to Quattrocchi amorphophallus has it origin in the “Greek amorphos ‘shapeless, deformed, without form’ and phallos, ‘a penis, wooden club,’ referring to the shape of the spadix.” We promise not to stare too long.

We got a few bulbils (where the specifc epithet comes from) from the Missouri Botanical Garden back in the 1990s and they have since steadily spread.

Amorphohallus bulbifer Stems and New Leaves – These Are Really Just One Big LeafAmorphohallus bulbifer Stems and New Leaves – These Are Really Just One Big LeafAmorphohallus bulbifer Stems and New Leaves – These Are Really Just One Big Leaf

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