So, while we are still waiting...

While we wait....

OK. This is the time that many horticulturists anticipate when growing the Corpse Flower .......there is little visible change and the bud is looking so ready to open at anytime. The only question that is asked now is "When will it bloom???" Well, we do not have a good answer for that inquiry at this moment!! Our guess is that it will bloom this week and possibly earlier than later in the week. It has reached the 6'1" height mark and 2 of the 3 leaf looking structures at the base have dried up and fallen down. So we know we are progressing, but at slower rate than many of us can easily handle!!! We are all waiting as anxiously as everyone else to see what this plant will look like when the bud opens. Stay tuned!

It is a cool and cloudy Saturday

Yesterday's warmer and brighter weather made a difference in the growth curve for this plant!! There was an idea that maybe, just maybe, the upward growth had slowed down and we were going to see the outward growth pick up. Well, this mornings height measurement was 68"! That is 4 inches more than yesterday!

For those of you that have not had the chance to stop in at the Conservatory yet, here is a comparison of the grower of this plant at 5'8" with the actual size of the inflorescence and pot! Kinda cool!

More red coloring than yesterday!

BOB,too in the Parlor at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory this morning!

If we had to guess on a bloom date..........maybe????? Monday? Tuesday? Watch that webcam!

There is a change coming...

64" tall today and 36 3/4" around the widest part of the bud! The upward growth is now slowing and the girth measurements are starting to increase. We are still on track for a bloom soon! How soon is still the question!

There is more red/maroon coloring starting to show in the spathe.

And the first fly to find it's way to the Parlor has been noticed!! It is always amazing how the flies can find this plant! Do you think that this little guy knows something we don't??

Still hoping to see a bloom some time early next week....

Corpse Flower - June 22 update

The Corpse Flower is in the Parlor and it continues to grow well! Three inches of height and 2" of girth were added in the last 24 hours! There is also a hint of maroon at the very tip of the spathe (the skirt) that indicates that the blooming process is still moving forward. There was concern that a move of the plant at this point might cause some problems. Time will tell for sure but at this time, there are signs that we made the move from the growing greenhouse to the display area without too much trouble! We are now waiting for the leaf looking structures at the base of the bud to peal back---then the hope is that we will be about +/_ 5 days away from an opening.

Watch that webcam and plan your visit!

The Corpse Flower is in the Parlor!

We moved our Corpse Flower from our behind the scenes growing house to the Parlor in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory today!! It is not blooming yet and we do not have an exact date for the big stinky event. But we hope that each days growth will help us determine a date soon! We wrapped the bud in a fiber wrap so that it would be as stable as possible during the move. One of the Horticulture staff actually stood on the pallet as it was being moved to also help stabilize the bud! Thanks to a former intern for documenting the process so thoroughly!

This is the second bloom for the MMC---BOB, our original plant, bloomed April 9, 2008. This plant, BOB,too, is actually our second plant and is 18 years old. This plant has never bloomed and we are looking forward to seeing what this inflorescence looks like in the next days! Today, the bud was 56" tall and had a measurement at it's widest point of 31"! There will be a live webcam on this plant starting today. Check the website for the Como Zoo and Conservatory and see what all the excitment is about!

Quick glimpse into Roots, Shoots & Fruits courtesy of KARE 11.

Hold your noses, the Corpse Flower is about to BLOOM!

It has been three years since this blog was started. And the event that was used to launch the blog was the blooming of a Corpse Flower, Amorphophallus titanum, that we called BOB. Well, guess what???? WE HAVE ANOTHER BLOOM TO ANNOUNCE!!!!! YAY!!!

So.....

Here is a poster representing the life cycle of the Corpse Flower from our good friends at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. We are just at the stage where we can see the spadix starting to show at the tip of the bud.

Measurements have been taken daily since about May 11 when the bud started to peak out of the soil.

And here is BOB,too! You can just see the spadix starting to show!

We do not have an exact bloom date at this moment but hope it might occur sometime between June 27th and July 4th. Time will tell!!!

HERE IS A LIVE LOOK - Come on in and check it out for yourself!