Aroids (the family Araceae)

[Paul T]

Rogan,

You're well ahead of me.  My clump of that species isn't even showing anything above ground as yet.  It's a great species..... when I received it I was told "treat it like a potato".  I planted it, and have just left it there multiplying and flowering every year!! 

[Lesley Cox]

Way ahead of mine too. It never shows before mid December and last year, not until January. But it was very dry here in the spring and early summer.

[David Shaw]

We did have some candidissimum flowers, but not many.

[Paul T]

Hmmmm... time to reanimate this topic I think....

Not and Arum, nor a Biarum, so they don't fit into those topics..... and we're coming well into Arisaema time for many of us.  Here's Arisaema sikokianum, the first of the genus to flower for me this year.    I just love it!!

Please excuse the background to the longer shot.  Some of my wonderfully neat and tidy back yard.    But the fence is colourbond metal now. 

Please click on the pic for a larger version.

[Rogan]

...an amazing aroid from Mars, or is it Venus?     I had it some time ago, lost it, and now have three pots of young seedlings bursting at the seams - it's either all or nothing with this one!

Love your backyard Paul, so full of interesting things...   

[Paul T]

interesting things.... aka.... MESS!! 

Thanks Rogan.

[Lesley Cox]

Just for once we're on song Paul, with my A. sikokianum out now as well. Usually it is quite a bit later than the Aussie plants.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

In two other (far more neglected) pots I have flowers appearing now as well.  One looks like it will be a miniature only a few inches tall..... amazing what neglect and starvation can do, yet it is still going to flower.  It's probably panicking and thinking it will die, so the flowering is a last ditch attempt to survive. 

[Rogan]

Here's my pot from a few years ago - my present batch have plain green leaves. Interesting variations in leaves, spath and spadix abound with this species   

[Paul T]

You had a lovely pot of them, Rogan.  Bummer that you lost them (although good that you have new seedlings coming along!  ).

[Anthony Darby]

Arisarum vulgare was very common around Ca'n Picafort in northern Mallorca. Not many in flower at this time and here's a few pics.

[Paul T]

Anthony,

Ineresting to see the green flowered form.  Ours here are very much brown flowered.  Nice!

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

The Arisaemas are coming out slowly here.  Attached is Arisaema ringens, such a strange flower and so very cool.  

Also, Dracunculus vulgaris, in all it's stinkiness.  I'm awaiting the opening of Dracunulus canariensis for the first time for me too (I've had it for a number of years but never flowered it before).

Please click on the pic for a larger version.

[Rogan]

Paul's picture of A. ringens above neatly answers Lesley's question in the Arisaeama thread as to why Arisaema's turn their windowed backs to the light - this is to attract pollinators to enter the confines of the spath in much the same way as Darlingtonia, Nepenthes and Sarracenia do to attract potential prey to a watery death. So many other plants do similar things with hooded and windowed organs, e.g. Aristolochia and Ceropegia with their 'Dutchman's Pipe' flowers.

Windowed leaves can also serve a completely different function in many species of succulent plants - letting light in to the interior of the leaves which are buried in the soil to prevent the plant from being dessicated by hot desert winds and strong sunshine.

Here endeth the lesson!   

[Ragged Robin]

Really interesting Rogan, thanks for the lesson, I love enlightenment!