gentle giants...

Rafflesia Arnoldii



Amorphophallus Titanum


Puya Raimondii


Corypha umbraculifera

 

Mira. What do you mean gentle?

The Amorphophallus will (very rarely I know) when it flowers, stink anything within 50 metres out of house and home. It smells like a dead horse.

The Puya, the prototype for the triffid, in common with all puyas, has the most vicious spines ever created by nature. I know I had one (alpensis) until today but boss lady has just announced that, as I've ordered my greenhouse, she's bought me a puya chilensis to be delivered in time for Christmas. So now I've 2 (sob).

I don't know the other 2 (and refuse to look them up) but gentle?

 

P.S. Gorgeous pictures.

 

No. I couldn't resist it. I looked up the rafflesia as well. It stinks of rotting flesh is the description.

 

Great pics Mira, I have Puya chilensis looks like I will have to take off the g/house roof if it gets as big as raimondii.

 

Sarraceniac - gentle...because they look gentle in spite of being enormuos things. Ok maybe the puya loos a bit like a saw: you may be right there.
regarding the smell, whatever smell they have must be a lot of it !!!

 

Amazing plants

 

By Miraflores:

Believe me Mira There's a lot of it. It's to attract flies for pollination.

 

I would ask my son to nip next door in to Peru to bring a Puya back for me but some how I don't think it will fit in his luggage.

 

Strongy I have a rooted offset if you want it just e-mail me your addy.

 

Lovely plants!

 

Thanks Walnut, on its way, btw how did you get on with the Callistemom seed?, I still have thousands.

 

Strongy only tried a sprinkling nothing through yet will try again in spring, will post the Puya today just watch those barbs.

 

Lovely pictures Miraflores.

I'm sure they're worth having even if they do have a bad odour John, I mean as a mother I'ave had the whole changing dirty nappies and clearing old used socks from under beds as our two boys have got older so a smelly plant is easy peasy! :D
Helen.xxx.

 

Believe me Helen, not these. I have some smaller amorphophallus (or is that phalli) which are fantastic when they flower (not very often) but you can pong them literally from 30 metres. Luckily I knew and planted them closer to the neighbour than me. And Mira's picture is of the Titan arum which I think only flowers about every 30 to 50 years for about 3 days. The one at Kew flowered a couple of years ago and it made the national news. Some of their nick-names are 'dead horse plant' and 'cadaver plant'. These are not just smelly plants, they have been known to make people vomit. (When mine has puppies, do you want a few?) :D