Wild, Wonderful Aroids-Part 3-Amorphophallus-Page 3

The plants use these bulblets as a means of propagation by the simple strategy of weakening the cell walls of the petiole so that it collapses, thus setting the bulblets a safe distance away from the mother plant so they have space to grow.

Planting the bulblets is one method of propagation; seed is another. A. bulbifer does not make offsets, according to aroid authority Wilbert Hetterscheid. He also confirms that seedlings produce more leaves shortly after each other, resulting in small plants with more than one leaf.

Krzysztof Kozminski notes that A. bulbifer dislikes low humidity, which may cause the leaves to partially desiccate, particularly in low light. Also, he says, that in low light, the leaves become exceptionally dark green with contrasting pink margins. In bright light, the leaves are bright green and the pinkish margins less pronounced. Further, he points out that if you want to move them from low to bright light, it must be done very gradually.

Native to Nepal, northeastern India, China and Burma, A. bulbifer prefers partial shade and evenly moist soil during the growing period. It has proven hardy in the ground to 10ºF (12ºC).

A. bulbifer prefers rich, loamy soil and, especially in containers, should be fed monthly with a half strength house-plant fertilizer. A recommended potting mix consists of two parts loam to one part peat moss and one part sand. Geoffrey Kibby noted that pot restrictions keeps the tubers small; by giving a tuber as large a pot as you can, particularly in width, you can double the tuber size in a year. Tubers can grow to a large size.

Gradually withhold water starting in October until the leaf withers. Store the tubers at temperatures above 50ºF (10ºC) and bring them back into active growth in March by starting to water again.

The tender petioles of newly emerging leaves are edible, chopped and boiled with the water drained off and then made into curry or salad. A key ingredient for these dishes is a good quantity of lime or lemon juice, which counteracts the tendency of the oxalic crystals in the plant to irritate the throat.

While in Raleigh with the IAS, we toured Tony Avent's extraordinary Plant Delights Nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Gardens - an experience not to be missed, should you have the opportunity. These two species, snapped in his trial house, seized my attention. I know nothing about them except that I

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