Saturday, May 9, 2009

Aspidistra elatior Flower

Cast iron plant with flower and roots.
Cast iron plant with flower.

I was dividing a cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) that has been in the ground for many years with the aim of giving a clump to some friends. I was surprised to see what I think is the flower (pre-bloom or post-bloom?)– having never observed the flower in all these years. Compare the above photo of what I observed with a Curtis’s Botanical Magazine image here.

2021-06-25 Update

The cast iron plant in question is a large clump on the north side of our house, in deep shade. It grows outside readily in Seattle weather and doesn't get any water other than rain.

Recently, I wanted to use cast iron plant in a pot as an accent in another part of our yard. I went to the local nursery and were shocked. For a few measly stalks of the plant they wanted upwards of 80 dollars. I realized that we just need to take a bit of our own clump. While digging up a clump this time, I got a better picture of the flower in bloom.


Flower of cast iron plant with hazelnut shells
Cast iron plant flower with hazelnut shells.
 
Cast iron plant with Arisarum proboscideum – Mouse Tail Arum
Cast iron plant flower with Arisarum proboscideum – Mouse Tail Arum – leaves.

No comments:

Post a Comment

All comments go through a moderation process. Even though it may not look like the comment was accepted, it probably was. Check back in a day if you asked a question. Thanks!