View Full Version : Anyone grow Amorphophallus?
Zac in NC
03-14-2008, 04:08 PM
I know this is a banana forum, but I thought I'd see if any of you grew this group of Aroids. I have a number of species I am growing right now. Konjac, which is hardy to about zone 6, bulbifer, aff atroviridis( possibly saururus or an un-named Thai species), ongsakulii, titanum, carneus and several unknown and un-identified species. I also grow Pseudodracontium harmanii 'Hot Legs', which recent molecular evidence has shown that the Genus Pseudodracontium is firmly seated in the middle of Amorphophallus genetically, so they are soon to be lumped into Amorphophallus. They are very easy to grow as potted plants, and have "interesting" flowers. Anyone else grow these so called Voodoo Lilies?
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1787800x600.jpg
This is a mature A ongsakulii blooming in a 4 inch pot, at Plant Delights.
Zac
chong
03-14-2008, 07:20 PM
Majestic looking plant, even more majestic flower! Yucky-y-y-y fragrance, though. Unusual name is very appropriate for the flower. Kinda like the Butterfly Pea. Scientific names can sometimes go in the blue territory.
Zac in NC
03-20-2008, 04:50 PM
This one actually has no fragrance. And they don't all smell bad. Some are known to smell of grated carrot, but the vast majority are known to be smelly.
I'm kind of surprised that more people on here don't grow them, Some have fabulously colored foliage, especially in the Thai species allied to atroviridids, which are velvety reddish when the leaves emerge, and have a bronzy green mature leaf, with a pink petiole with scattered lighter flecks.
Zac
dablo93
03-21-2008, 03:45 AM
its looking really nice, I like amorphophallus but I really dont have space for them..
chong
03-21-2008, 01:04 PM
This one actually has no fragrance. And they don't all smell bad. Some are known to smell of grated carrot, but the vast majority are known to be smelly.
I'm kind of surprised that more people on here don't grow them, Some have fabulously colored foliage, especially in the Thai species allied to atroviridids, which are velvety reddish when the leaves emerge, and have a bronzy green mature leaf, with a pink petiole with scattered lighter flecks.
Zac
Indeed they are very pretty. But smelly??????? How about a dead rat!? A member of the VFW club my daughter manages, gave her a bouquet of flowers with the Amorphophallus as the centerpiece. It was beautiful. Except after a few hours, people at the bar were kind of looking at each other suspiciously, then started to move away from the bar. When my daughter called me over to ask me what kind of flower it was, I retorted, "Smell it!"
She just pouted, wrinkled and pinched her nose. Eeeeek! Up close it was stronger, I guess.
Rmplmnz
03-21-2008, 08:28 PM
I know this is a banana forum, but I thought I'd see if any of you grew this group of Aroids. I have a number of species I am growing right now. Konjac, which is hardy to about zone 6, bulbifer, aff atroviridis( possibly saururus or an un-named Thai species), ongsakulii, titanum, carneus and several unknown and un-identified species. I also grow Pseudodracontium harmanii 'Hot Legs', which recent molecular evidence has shown that the Genus Pseudodracontium is firmly seated in the middle of Amorphophallus genetically, so they are soon to be lumped into Amorphophallus. They are very easy to grow as potted plants, and have "interesting" flowers. Anyone else grow these so called Voodoo Lilies?
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1787800x600.jpg
This is a mature A ongsakulii blooming in a 4 inch pot, at Plant Delights.
Zac
We are growing a couple of varieties...once you have them you always have them. They disappear and then suddenly show up again...
mskitty38583
03-21-2008, 08:37 PM
how hardy are they do you know? can they over winter outside in 6/7 if they are protected?
Zac in NC
03-24-2008, 03:55 PM
Which one are you Asking about MSKitty? ongsakulii is a Thai species and it probably will not be a hardy one. The tubers on it, the largest ones I have are maybe 1 cm long, and the smaller tubers are about the size of a guater grain of rice.
Dablo- I grow mainly species that can be stored dry when dormant, so they don't take up that much room. In fact, they sure take up less space in winter than my Musa do.
Zac
Bch Grl
03-24-2008, 04:07 PM
I have one that is about 6-7 years old and it comes back every year. I have it planted in a pot, so it doesn't rot during our rainey years. It comes back so late(June) that I'm always amazed when it pokes out! Got it at Going Bananas years ago.
I got a new one last year at EFG Orchids, pretty dark leaves with a pink edge to the leaves.
I also got a plant called "Giraffe Knees". Very similar..will post a pic when I find the camera!
Margie
truetropical77
03-25-2008, 09:10 AM
I grow several spevicies of amorphophallus. I enjoy the larger flowering type though. I currently am growing Konjac, Konjac 'Leo song', Hewittii, Decus-silvea, Atroviridis, asterostigmatus, borneensis,bulbifer, dactylifer ,haematospadix, kiusianus, aberrans,lambii ,
paeoniifolius, prainii, titanum, and an unknown species.
Randy4ut
03-25-2008, 09:27 AM
I have a couple of Konjac that I received from a friend in fall of '06. They went into the ground in spring of '07. They did fairly well last year with no bloom. Stems were awesome looking, BTW, and look forward to seeing if they come back this spring and flower for me or not. They are planted in my back bed as far away from the house as I could plant them...
Zac in NC
03-25-2008, 04:16 PM
I grow several spevicies of amorphophallus. I enjoy the larger flowering type though. I currently am growing Konjac, Konjac 'Leo song', Hewittii, Decus-silvea, Atroviridis, asterostigmatus, borneensis,bulbifer, dactylifer ,haematospadix, kiusianus, aberrans,lambii ,
paeoniifolius, prainii, titanum, and an unknown species.
Wow. You have more than I have. Where in Texas are you?
Randy- It will be hardy there, but don't expect it up too early. June is about right, or maybe late May. I've seen konjac in the ground in Denver, Colorado which is much colder than you are.
Zac
Mark Hall
03-26-2008, 04:30 AM
Zac we get them in the UK sold as food in the aisan/indian grocers. They sell them as Suran. They can vary in size starting like a begonia tuber right upto a coconut size.
The ethnic grocers are a good place to get Gingers,Colocasias,Xanthosomas and curcuma too. You just have to know what your looking for.
Here's a few bits from the grocers with the Suran in the middle
Zac in NC
03-26-2008, 04:31 PM
Mark- thats probably paeonifolius, aka Elephant yam. That is one I do not have yet. I need to check out some ethnic grocers I guess.
Zac
bigdog
03-26-2008, 08:57 PM
Zac, we grow bulbifer and titanum at the greenhouse. I like bulbifer because of the little bulblet that forms on the leaf. Do any others do that, or is it the only one? Strange how it does that when most don't.
Zac in NC
03-27-2008, 05:23 PM
Zac, we grow bulbifer and titanum at the greenhouse. I like bulbifer because of the little bulblet that forms on the leaf. Do any others do that, or is it the only one? Strange how it does that when most don't.
Many others do this, in many different ways. A beccari,hottae,muellerii and others do this. Tony Avent saw this and thought, hmmm, I wonder how they'd do with leaf cuttings. Most species this works with, except konjac and albus and a few others. the rest form up to golf ball sized tubers from a leaflet cutting.
Amorphophallus symonianus is a really weird one. The bulbil forms inside the petiole, and then burts out. International Aroid Society (http://www.aroid.org/genera/speciespage.php?genus=amorphophallus&species=symonianus)
Zac
Zac in NC
03-28-2008, 02:30 PM
Here's my atroviridis as it emerged last season.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1613.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1630.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1631.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1632.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/musamanzac/100_1633.jpg
See how pretty it is?!?!?!
Zac
Zac in NC
04-03-2008, 04:21 PM
Bump! Just bringing this up to the top again, checking for interest.
RRedBBeard
01-18-2017, 09:43 AM
Is this thread still going?
cincinnana
01-18-2017, 09:29 PM
Is this thread still going?
A new thread had taken its place .
I would link the thread but my linker aint linking.
Keyword "anyone growing amorphophalus"
A few of my plants which had to be relocated last fall.
These hardy bulbs I think are 3-4 years old and are planted in very rich soil.
The foliage makes a bold tropical statement and the deer do not eat them.
Plant is a late to rise robust grower with many offsets during the season.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5732/30374730390_373d24f798_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Nh7r77)
Konjac (https://flic.kr/p/Nh7r77) by
Hostafarian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hostafarian/),
on Flickr
kaczercat
01-18-2017, 11:04 PM
Is that what the actual name is.Thank you. I know it as devil something, or corpse flower.
cincinnana
01-18-2017, 11:13 PM
Is that what the actual name is.Thank you. I know it as devil something, or corpse flower.
yes sir, same type plant
cincinnana
01-19-2017, 08:15 AM
Here is the link to the most recent thread :2738:
The thread has a great continuation of posts.
http://www.bananas.org/181684-post1.html
cincinnana
02-25-2017, 09:28 PM
Wow...many of my plants want to pop due to the consistent higher temps (55 instead of 40-) for this time of year.
Containers are kept in the garage near the doors where it is cooler.
cincinnana
04-15-2017, 07:51 PM
I had inadvertently cut the corm in half last October and stored the corm in a five gallon bucket along with a few others..
The corm sprouted a month ago.
This corm was ready to go.......... I planted it today in a 10 gal container,
I used Espoma bulb booster and Espoma tomatoetone....
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2811/33675929890_656f0ff032.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TiPWGS)
Konjac corm (https://flic.kr/p/TiPWGS)
by
Hostafarian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hostafarian/),
on Flickr
RRedBBeard
04-15-2017, 08:08 PM
I've had great results with amorphs by adding a little bone meal to the potting mix when repotting, maybe a teaspoon or 2 in a 10" pot. Ever try it? What other amorphs species do you grow?
--Rick in CT
cincinnana
04-15-2017, 09:14 PM
I've had great results with amorphs by adding a little bone meal to the potting mix when repotting, maybe a teaspoon or 2 in a 10" pot. Ever try it? What other amorphs species do you grow?
--Rick in CT
I love to use Espoma products for ariods/ariseames....lots of bonemeal and other goodies. These organic products seem to have all the good stuff for this type of plant
I have a woodland garden with a few of these ephemeral/ short lived plants while others do not show till mid June.
Here is a link to a few pics...just planted some bulbifer corms and urishima corms today.
I am a hosta junkie also.
Hostas (https://www.flickr.com/gp/hostafarian/2tmPdP)
They inadvertently decided it was time to flower in January and now they are dormant again....so new fresh soil for them.
I had some Arisaeme Ringens and Arisaeme Grithiffii bloom prematurely also due to the warm temps in the garage.....a treat in January.
For me these plants are awesome.
I tried to acquire a few more from this vendor but they were sold out of a few which I wanted........my name is on the list..for next year.
Soules Garden, Perennials (http://soulesgarden.com/)
I am happy to see someone else interested/growing in these fantastic plants.
Zacarias
06-06-2017, 11:52 PM
I love amorphophallus and would love to grow titanum and the one that Zac shows in the photo of the one he got from Plant Delights. I've dabbled with konjacs for a few years but this is the first year that I'm trying bulbifers. I am mostly into the amorphophallus tubers that you leave dry at the end of the season as opposed to the more tropical ones but I would be willing to try titanum. We'll see.
Zach
RRedBBeard
06-08-2017, 08:36 AM
Cincinnana--
You mention a hosta addiction--I have a common hosta (?) seyboldiana, a large, strong grower with glaucous leaves. A great ground cover here. Also, I traded last summer for a division of hosta 'mito no hana', which is a pretty cool striped plant. I think it was a sport, not a hybrid. Anyway, here's a picture of it a few weeks ago, assuming I added the picture correctly. If there's no picture visible here, copy/paste should show it.
--Rick
.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqep4xl9f8p2x3e/20170517_113419hosta%20mito%20no%20hana.jpg?dl=0
luisport
06-08-2017, 12:37 PM
Cincinnana--
You mention a hosta addiction--I have a common hosta (?) seyboldiana, a large, strong grower with glaucous leaves. A great ground cover here. Also, I traded last summer for a division of hosta 'mito no hana', which is a pretty cool striped plant. I think it was a sport, not a hybrid. Anyway, here's a picture of it a few weeks ago, assuming I added the picture correctly. If there's no picture visible here, copy/paste should show it.
--Rick
.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqep4xl9f8p2x3e/20170517_113419hosta%20mito%20no%20hana.jpg?dl=0
And you can eat hosta shots, leaves and flowers! Cooked or raw. In Japan are very apreciated.
André Troylilas
06-09-2017, 04:11 AM
I am growing Konjac and paeoniifolius for food, and because they look really exotic to me.
cincinnana
06-10-2017, 12:44 PM
Cincinnana--
You mention a hosta addiction--I have a common hosta (?) seyboldiana, a large, strong grower with glaucous leaves. A great ground cover here. Also, I traded last summer for a division of hosta 'mito no hana', which is a pretty cool striped plant. I think it was a sport, not a hybrid. Anyway, here's a picture of it a few weeks ago, assuming I added the picture correctly. If there's no picture visible here, copy/paste should show it.
--Rick
.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqep4xl9f8p2x3e/20170517_113419hosta%20mito%20no%20hana.jpg?dl=0
Great trade...I had seen that plant which is a decendent of H. sieboldii at a hosta function .
Beutiful plant at the beginning of the season but I have not seen one in the green stage yet late in the season..
Pop off a pic when yours goes green
The plant is a must have.:nanadrink:
What did you trade for it....car, house, first born?:)
cincinnana
03-24-2018, 07:25 PM
Konjac will not wait.
I had five of these plants (bulbs) @45-degrees for 6 months..
Then I moved them to indoors for a month @68+- and they all pushed a flower, except one of the which mushed.
However...the mature ones I have outside year round will not produce a flower or foliage till June.
Plants that are outdoors will not push till very late spring
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/807/40285910294_c2206657b1.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24nVPAf)
Konjac can't wait (https://flic.kr/p/24nVPAf) by
Hostafarian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hostafarian/),
on Flickr
RRedBBeard
03-25-2018, 01:30 AM
Here's a pic of Mito-no-hana from early August, still showing pretty good stripes. Sorry for the crappy picture quality. It also produced a bumper crop of seed, presumably crossed with h.seyboldiana ~20 feet away. If I can find them, you're welcome to some, but you may have to stratify them for a couple of weeks. Maybe the seeds' 2nd generation will be interesting? That is, the seed of this seed....hopefully this link works:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pobk257a8aeeaxt/20170803_050846.jpg?dl=0
I think I traded a nice offset of a.konjac 'shattered glass', which is a pretty good door-opener. Here are a few pics of last year's foliage:
*https://www.dropbox.com/s/qksz2rog0a1ctrs/20170902_174841%20Z17.jpg?dl=0
*https://www.dropbox.com/s/bwdcbvhc6pl6ehz/20170902_174314%20J17.jpg?dl=0
*https://www.dropbox.com/s/loqh3j41mmculw2/20170829_155853%20Q17.jpg?dl=0
*https://www.dropbox.com/s/100xgo8370f3aas/20170822-150053%20Lemon%20%26%20Lime.png?dl=0
This one was 39" x 46" last year. Can't wait to see what it does this year! https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrjpy77ydz2u35d/20170713_142118.jpg?dl=0
cincinnana
03-27-2018, 03:48 AM
Both of those collecter plants are amazing.
It will really be interesting to see what traits the seeds keep.
The hosta is a showpiece....looks like it's doing well.
The Amorph....wow.
I had not seen one .
I had to read up on that chimera.
Seems the neat part is that it has unstable variegation .
I wonder what the flower will look like?
That one is a keeper for sure.
I hope it gives you many offsets.:)
RRedBBeard
03-27-2018, 05:40 AM
Which ones are you referring to as collector plants?
They do flower and produce seed, although mine haven't yet, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about these plants. There was a good thread on the subject a couple of years ago, and I'll have to see if I can locate it.
cincinnana
03-28-2018, 03:43 AM
Which ones are you referring to as collector plants?
They do flower and produce seed, although mine haven't yet, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about these plants. There was a good thread on the subject a couple of years ago, and I'll have to see if I can locate it.
This might be the thread you were speaking of I wish they could be combined.
This is a good one.
http://www.bananas.org/181684-post1.html
Shattered glass and Mito-no-hana were the cool/collecter/don't have plants I was referring to.
The shattered glass is just amazing.
There is always room in the pot for don't haves:)
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