Topic: Typhonium flowers.

[Eristic]

Woke up this morning with a bad smell in the flat and Pussycat denied all responsibility. My Typhoniums are starting to flower:



No soil. No water. No tlc.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's an interesting looking aroid; where does it come from? I like Arums and Dracunculus, but haven't got any further than that.

[Eristic]

Remind me next autumn and I will send you some tubers. They are a bit difficult to post now that they are actively growing. I believe that they originated from Asia but are now quite widespread.

The new leaf stalk will emerge shortly after flowering along with the roots and from then on the tuber has to be potted up, watered and fed like any other hungry aroid. I use these plants several tubers to a pot for an exotic touch to shady patio areas as they handle sun or shade well.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Can they stand cold? If they can't manage in a cold frame at best, then an overheated windowsill would probably be the best I could do, for this year at any rate.

[Eristic]

These plants will not tolerate a frost but they overcome that by remaining dormant until the weather warms up. Growth is rapid, full size in just a few weeks and they suddenly yellow and die off as the nights draw in during October. I always lift the tubers, clean them and store them dry until the following year. If planted in the ground they can drag themselves down really deep and if the situation does not get waterlogged they can naturalise. One frost on the tuber though and its mashed potatoes.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'd be grateful for some in the autumn then! It sounds as though they'd be OK.

[fluffygrue]

Wow, they're gorgeous. :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Dunno that 'gorgeous' is quite the word, but there's a sort of repugnant fascination about aroids. You can smell these 20 yards off on a good day, and anyone who didn't know better would think it was a month-old corpse.

[Rohaise]

Oh! I love them, they are just outrageous !   I love wierd and wonderful plants .   :D Rohaise