Amorphophallus

The amorphophallus flower is a deciduous plant belonging to the Araceae family. His homeland is Indochina, the main habitat is India and the island of Sumatra. The name is associated with the appearance of the inflorescences - cobs and comes from a combination of two Greek words "Amorpho" and "Phallus", which respectively translates as "shapeless" and "shoot". The unusual flower amorphophallus belongs to the ephemeroids and spends most of the time being at rest.

Locals, in turn, call amorphophallus "snake palm" or "voodoo lily". Such unusual comparisons are related to the appearance of the plant. When a flower comes out of hibernation, it forms only one huge cut leaf on a large petiole resembling a trunk. In height, it can reach up to 1.5 m. Due to its special structure, this leaf resembles an elegant crown and gives the plant the appearance of a small tree. Less commonly, two or three similar leaves are formed on the amorphophallus. After the formation and withering of the flower, the green part of the plant completely dies: this is how it goes into a state of dormancy.

Amorphophallus develops from a tuber, which is about the size of a large orange, and weighs about 5 kg. This part of the plant is edible and is often used as an ingredient in East Asian dishes. The Chinese consider such tubers to be dietary. They contain special substances that can lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

It is not so difficult to grow amorphophallus at home, but caring for a large exotic plant has a number of features.

Description of amorphophallus

Amorphophallus leaves leave for only 6-7 months per year, most often at the end of March, and from mid-October they begin to turn yellow and die off. Each new leaf grows taller and has more cuts than last year.

Flowering begins after the dormant period has passed, while the leaf has not yet appeared. It lasts about two weeks and ends before new roots grow. During flowering, the tuber size is greatly reduced due to the high consumption of substances necessary for nutrition and the emergence of a flower. Therefore, for the next 3-4 weeks, the plant is again in another dormancy, at the end of which a leaf appears again. It happens that the period of tuber dormancy is long, up to spring. And if the flower is pollinated, then an ovary of infructescence appears after it, from which fleshy berries with seeds will then develop. The plant itself dies at the same time.

Amormophallus have an unusual property - their flowers are endowed with an unpleasant unusual aroma, for which they were called by the people cadaverous flowers. It resembles the smell of a decaying rodent or spoiled fish and lasts for several days. The scent invites all insects that can pollinate it. The male flower of the amorphophallus opens later than the female, so the process of self-pollination is very rare. For pollination to take place, you need at least two plants with the same flowering period.

Brief rules for growing amorphophallus

The table shows brief rules for caring for amorphophallus at home.

Amorphophallus care at home

Growing amorphophallus in a pot at home is not particularly difficult for a grower.

Illumination

All amorphophallus are light-requiring, they prefer bright and diffused light. Natural habitat - lower tiers of tropical forests. Therefore, it is advisable to keep the flower in that part of the room where a sufficient amount of light will flow. The plant is best suited for diffused sunlight from east or west windows. On the southern side of the landing, you will have to shade with translucent curtains.

Temperature

Homemade amorphophallus grow best in a room where the room temperature is kept within 25-28 degrees. If you provide the flower with sufficient air humidity, it can withstand any heat. When the tubers are resting, they are kept cool (about 10-12 degrees).

Watering mode

Amorphophallus is very hygrophilous and should be watered regularly and abundantly. The substrate in the flower pot must be kept moist at all times. So that the plant does not start to rot from excess liquid in the soil, it is necessary to provide it with a good drainage layer. In autumn, with the beginning of the dormant period, the volume of irrigation should be reduced.

Watering amorphophallus can only be done with settled water, from which chlorine, dangerous to the health of the plant, has already disappeared. It is better if, during watering, water does not fall on the tuber itself.

Humidity level

From excessive dryness of the air, a single leaf of the amorphophallus can begin to dry out. To prevent this, it should be regularly sprayed with warm, well-settled water. Using plain tap water will cause a white coating to form on the leaf surface.

Capacity selection

The tuber and roots of amorphophallus are impressive in size: they need to hold a large aerial part of the plant. For a flower, volumetric containers of great depth and width are best suited.

The soil

For growing amorphophallus, a mixture of equal shares of humus, sand and turf is suitable. You can also use a universal substrate for indoor plants, aroids or saintpaulias. The main requirement is to provide a drainage layer. It can be made from pebbles, expanded clay or broken foam.

Top dressing

As soon as a leaf appears on the amorphophallus tuber, the plant can be fertilized. You need to feed once every 2 weeks by alternating organic and mineral fertilizers. It is important to know that the flower needs a lot of phosphorus. For an accelerated set of tuber mass, fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus in a ratio of 1: 2: 3 or better 1: 1: 4 should be applied. If the tubers are large, one more piece of leafy soil is added to their substrate. Before feeding, you need to water the potted soil abundantly.

Transfer

Amorphophallus transplant is carried out in the spring. Tubers that have wintered in an old pot should be replanted after sprouts begin to form on them. As the amorphophallus grows, it is transferred into a larger container and filled with fresh earth. The flower is very fond of such transshipments. They can be done about 3-4 times. This procedure allows the formation of larger and more powerful tubers that can bloom in the next season.

Pruning

Amorphophallus does not need pruning. Its leaf should be removed only after it dries, on the eve of a dormant period.

Bloom

Amorphophallus flower appears only once every 2-3 years and lasts only a few weeks. It forms before the plant forms a leaf. Like most aroids, the flower is a cob wrapped in a veil. Its pronounced fishy odor attracts flies that pollinate the flower. It is most intense in the first few days of flowering. You can reduce the unpleasant odor by pouring some cool water into the base of the flower bedspread.

But the formation of a large flower in amorphophallus takes a lot of energy, therefore, after flowering, the tuber rests for about a month, and only then begins to form a leaf.

The ear includes both female and male flowers, but the former usually open before the latter. Because of this, amorphophallus seldom pollinates itself. If the flower managed to be pollinated, berries are tied on the cob. After their ripening, the plant most often dies.

Dormant period

The leaf of the plant develops quite quickly: it has only a few months to grow. Amorphophallus spends most of the year alone. As a rule, this period occurs during the cold season and begins in the fall. Before it starts, the leaf begins to turn yellow, and then dries up. After that, the tuber is carefully removed from the pot, cleaned of dried roots and stored in a cool place. The tuber can also rest right in its pot.

Ready-made tubers for planting are usually purchased in winter. Until spring, such planting material can be kept in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. The tuber should be checked periodically to ensure that it does not start to rot, and growth points should be examined. After their awakening, in the spring (no later than the first days of April), such tubers are planted in the chosen container, leaving a little space on top for further adding soil.

If the tuber is rotten, it must be reanimated by removing the affected part with a sharp knife. Further, these sections must be treated with crushed charcoal and left to dry for about a day. After this procedure, the tuber is planted in the prepared mixture.

Amorphophallus propagation methods

There are several ways to reproduce the amazing amorphophallus.

Reproduction by dividing the tuber

The impressive tuber of amorphophallus allows it to be used to obtain new plant specimens. The division procedure is carried out when the kidneys wake up on it. After the sprouts appear, the tuber is divided into parts using a sharp and sterile instrument. Each division obtained should contain 1-2 healthy kidneys. In no case should they be damaged. Such a division will not be able to germinate and will not survive.

The resulting sections should be treated with crushed coal, and then left for about a day to dry the surface. When this happens, the cuttings can be planted in loose, fertile soil.After transplanting, these plants need to be watered especially carefully. As soon as the buds begin to develop, the amount of watering can be increased.

Such divisions will bloom only in the 2nd or 3rd year of life.

Reproduction with the help of children

This breeding method is considered less difficult. During the growth period, adult amorphophallus can form daughter nodules near the base of their leaf. If the flower is well looked after, during the development of the aboveground part, they can be equal in size to the main plant. Before the tuber begins to go into a dormant state, the children should be carefully separated from the bush, and planted in the spring in the same way as an adult tuber.

Propagation by leaf nodules

The features of the amorphophallus leaf are not limited to its unusual appearance. A small tuber about 1 cm in size is formed at its tip at the branching point. Before the rest period, before the leaf completely dries, this tuber should be carefully separated and transplanted into an individual small container.

It can take different times for the germination of the nodule, sometimes it begins to develop after a few weeks, and sometimes only from the next spring. Moreover, in nature, this method of flower reproduction is considered one of the main ones.

Growing from seeds

Amorphophallus is rarely grown from seed. They are rarely tied at home, and you can buy seed only from plant collectors. Seedlings obtained in this way begin to bloom only in the 5th year of life.

Diseases and pests

Homemade amorphophallus can respond to improper care in the following ways:

• Pallor of leaf plates - a consequence of poor lighting. The container with amorphophallus must be rearranged to a lighter place.
• Drying leaves - usually associated with low light or too little watering of the plant.
• Rotting roots - may be caused by too frequent watering or lack of drainage in the pot. Such amorphophallus must be transplanted into fresh soil as soon as possible, after cutting off all the affected areas on the tuber of the plant. Sections are treated with a fungicide.

The main pests of the snake palm are spider mites and aphids. They are fought with insecticides.

Types and varieties of amorphophallus with photos and names

The genus of amorphophallus includes a little less than 200 different species, but not all of them are capable of growing at home in pots. Most often, the following types of amorphophallus can be grown at home:

Amorphophallus bulbifer

The species forms tubers about 8 cm wide. Amorphophallus bulbifer forms a meter-long leaf of a rich olive green color with lighter blotches. The peduncle is up to 30 cm in height. The bedspread has a brownish-green hue and pink spots. At home, berries on the cob are not tied.

Amorphophallus cognac (Amorphophallus konjac)

Forms round and slightly flattened tubers up to 20 cm wide. Amorphophallus konjac has a shorter (up to 80 cm) leaf of a brownish-green hue, complemented by spots and specks. The peduncle usually grows up to 70 cm in height. It also has a spotted pattern. The ear of this species is colored purple. It is half hidden by a reddish-brown veil. The flowers of this amorphophallus smell especially strong and unpleasant.

Amorphophallus Rivera (Amorphophallus rivieri)

The dimensions of the tuber can be no more than 20 cm in diameter and largely depend on the conditions of the plant. Amorphophallus rivieri forms a leaf about 80 cm high. On its surface there is a pattern of dark and light specks. The width of the fully unfolded leaf reaches 1 m. The peduncle has the same dimensions. On it is a fairly short (up to 40 cm) bedspread, painted on the outside in a light shade of green. It is usually less than half the length of the ear itself.