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Amorphophallus albispathus
I have absolutely no idea where I got this. I may have purchased it at the IAS Fall Show & Sale a couple years ago. Alternatively it was a gift. I just know that I saw a plant sprouting in a pot that had been dry all winter. At the time, I hadn't even known that the pot had a tuber in it. After watering, I recognized it as an Amorphophallus. Once the bloom matured, it was identified by Wilbert Hetterscheid.
The plant is prolific in producing offsets which will no doubt make it boring to many. Regardless, the strong contrast between the mauve colored petioles and blue-green leaves and its potential as a ground cover makes it one of my favorites. The fact that the inflorescence smells sweet doesn't hurt its reputation either.
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| Tuber |
17 cm long, top part to ca . 7 cm in diameter |
| Leaf petiole |
10-55 cm long, 0.8-1.8 cm in di am. (base), turgid , smooth greyish green, to the base often with a pinkish or reddish brown hue , or nearly entirely pale reddish brown, emaculate or with a few, scattered dark greyish spots; lamina moderately dissected |
| Leaf lamina |
lamina moderately dissected , 15-90 cm in diameter |
| Spathe | |
| Spadix | |
| Store |
It takes a very dry resting period for ca. 3-4 months or shorter when ready to flower. |
(extracted with permission from Aroideana volume 19)