Dr. Alessandro Chiari, Plant Propagator at BBG, explaining A. titanum bloom morphology, behavior, and ecology.




Titan arum’s bloom structure and sequence has elements common to many, if not most, aroids. Blooms of plants in this family don’t just have exotic (and, if you’re of such a mind, suggestive) structure, they exhibit behavior:

1. The spathe, the outer sheath of the bloom, will continue to pull away from the spadix, widening and deepening in color as it does. When fully open, it will be a few feet in diameter.
2. As the spathe opens, the female flowers, in a band at the very bottom of the spadix, will begin to bloom and become receptive to pollination. It’s at this time only that the bloom becomes “fragrant.”
3. The fragrance attracts pollinators, in this case: carrion beetles and sweat bees, which are attracted to the scent of rotting flesh in which to lay their eggs.
4. Not finding any rotting flesh, they continue to hang out, depositing any pollen they have brought in from visiting other Titan arums.
5. Having been pollinated, the female flowers begin to wither.
6. The male flowers, in a band just above the female flowers on the spadix, become fertile and begin to express pollen.
7. The scent dies. The beetles and bees, with nothing to keep them there, begin to leave the base of the spadix. As they do, they pick up fresh pollen from the male flowers on their way up the spadix and out of the spathe.
8. After that, the spadix and spathe collapse and the plant, hopefully, sets seed.

This precisely timed choreography enforces cross-pollination between different plants. Since the female flowers bloom before the male flowers, not even trace amounts of pollen from the same plant will be around to fertilize the female flowers. It does require available pollinators and enough blooming plants within flying distance of each other.

Even in the wild, this is not a certainty by any means. Habitat destruction and collection of the plant have reduced its numbers and the possibility that two plants will bloom close enough in time and space for successful pollination.

In cultivation, when the most recent bloom was weeks or months before and thousands of miles away, the propagators must step in. BBG received pollen from Virgina Tech on August 8. When the female flowers are ripe, Alessandro Chiari, BBG’s Plant Propagator, will step in to pollinate them. BBG hopes to collect the seed from their plant and propagate more of it.

Continue reading …

Previous posts:

• Earlier today: Happy Corpse Flower Day!
• August 9, 2006: Field Trip Notes, 1 of 3
  
• August 9, 2006: What’s in a name?
• August 7, 2006: Titan arum to bloom at BBG

Links:

• BBG’s Titan Arum pages
• Wikipedia article
• My flickr set of photos from the visit

[Updated 2006.08.10 20:15 EDT: Added link to today’s article in the New York Times.]

We made it to BBG this evening, and I was not disappointed. To see all the photos, visit the flickr set I created for them.

A. titanum, detail of where the spadix emerges from the spathe. This picture best captures the subtle colors and sensuous textures of this magnificent plant.

The Cliff Notes version:

• The flower does not smell. Yet. The infamous stench erupts only while the female flowers are receptive, which may be only a few hours.
• BBG staff can’t predict exactly when it will peak.
• It may peak as early as this Friday, or as late as Monday. You can visit their Titan arum webcam page to keep track of its progress.
• The fact that it’s blooming at all is unexpected. They only learned barely two weeks ago that the current growth of the plant is a bloom and not a leaf.
• This evening’s program included brief lectures by Dr. Alessandro Chiari, BBG’s plant propagator, and Mark Fisher, foreman of BBG’s Steinhardt Conservatory.
• There was not enough time for me to ask all the questions I had.

My first encounter with A. titanum, taken through the windows of the Bonsai House. Note the open windows. These open directly onto the patio where they serve food and drink from the Terrace Cafe. I wonder what will happen to appetites when the bloom peaks and reeks.
There were several local film crews there when we arrived, interviewing the BBG staff and a few visitors. I don’t know why he’s looking at me funny!

Stepping just inside the Bonsai House, we see the placement of “Baby” and film crew interviewing some of the visitors. The flat stones in the foreground and the empty benches around the perimeter normally house BBG’s bonsai collection.

A view of (nearly) the entire bloom. The enveloping spathe is starting to pull away from the central spadix. Where the spathe overlaps itself can be considered the “front” of the flower. The sign to the right reads “CORPSE FLOWER, TITAN ARUM, Amorphophallus titanum, Sumatra, Indonesia”.

A couple of detail shots of the spadix emerging from the spathe, shot from different places around the plant. The ribbing of the spathe will support it when it opens fully, like a huge burgundy velvet dress, at peak bloom. The whole thing has a rather muscular and animalistic feel to it. It reminded me of Audrey II from “Little Shop of Horrors” which I saw years ago at the Orpheum Theatre in the East Village.

Continue reading …

Previous posts:

• August 9, 2006: What’s in a name?
• August 7, 2006: Titan arum to bloom at BBG

Links:

• BBG’s Titan Arum pages
• Wikipedia article
• My flickr set of photos from the visit
• New York Times, August 10: Brooklyn’s Bloom, a Sight (and Stench) Not to Be Missed (requires registration/subscription)