Josses, For those with a taste for the exotic! Anne Perry ------ Forwarded Message From: "Madelaine Zadik" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:58:15 -0400 To: <[log in to unmask]> Cc: "Michael Marcotrigiano" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Blooming Event!!! Dear Friend of the Botanic Garden, We don't often contact our Friends by email, but we thought you would be interested in this exciting event taking place in the Lyman Conservatory. The first flowering in Massachusetts of the rare and remarkable Titan Arum - Amorphophallus titanum - is about to take place at the Botanic Garden of Smith College. Native to the lowland rainforests of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, this endangered species has only rarely flowered in cultivation in the U.S. One of the largest blooms in the plant kingdom, it is also one of the most malodorous. We predict a miasma of stench will perfume the Palm House around August 13-15, 2005, but check first before making the pilgrimage. Our Titan Arum is located in Palm House near the doorway leading out to the rock garden. For this special flowering event evening hours and special parking regulations are being planned. Check our web site for the latest update on when our stinky giant will be in full power - www.smith.edu/garden . If you are nearby, we hope you will come see this exotic creature. Bring your own gasmask and enjoy! If not, check out the web site -- we're in the process of setting up a camera on it, so you'll be able to watch the flower's progress from afar. For many years the plant produces only a single, highly dissected leaf, up to 12 feet high. During this stage the plant is building up a large underground storage organ called a corm that can eventually weigh up to 150 pounds, requiring two people to lift and move it. Once it reaches a critical size, it may send up a flower. Our corm is only about 40 lbs and we did not expect it to bloom yet, since other corms have not bloomed until much heavier. These are probably the most spectacular flowers on earth. The inflorescence (flowering stalk) of this species is one of the largest. The size of the corm determines the size of the flower - 100 pound corms have been known to produce flower stalks up to 9 feet tall. From a pleated skirt of scarlet rises a towering yellow spadix (the spike that holds all the individual flowers). The bloom is short lived and we are not quite sure exactly when ours will open. Contributing to this flower's enigmatic and exotic allure is the fact that it is one of the worst smelling flowers on earth. The overpowering aroma of rotten flesh attracts carrion beetles, who serve as its pollinators. Our plant was raised from seed collected by the late Dr. James Symon, a physician who became one of the world experts on Amorphophallus. He collected seed in an abandoned rubber plantation in the town of Aeksah, in Sumatra, and this seed was distributed to universities and botanical institutions. Many recent flowerings of Amorphophallus in captivity trace back to Dr. Symon. In March of 1995 some of this seed was donated to the conservatories at the University of Connecticut. Clinton Morse, the manager of these conservatories, was successful in germinating and growing this precious seed and in 2002 he donated a corm to the Smith Botanic Garden, joining two others we had acquired. Our corm grew rapidly and by this spring weighed in at 40 pounds when it was repotted into a large planter box. While a corm of this weight won't produce a nine foot flower it will be a spectacular blossom nonetheless. Please feel free to pass along this email to anyone else you think might be interested! **************************************************************** Madelaine Zadik Manager of Education and Outreach The Botanic Garden of Smith College Lyman Plant House, 15 College Lane Northampton, MA 01063 USA Phone: 413-585-2743, Fax: 413-585-2744 http://www.smith.edu/garden ------ End of Forwarded Message