This morning, after a great 2 weeks out in our Parlor here at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, BOB,too the Corpse Flower was moved back to the support greenhouse. The inflorescence is still partially upright but is expected to eventually collapse completely. The underground tuber will recharge a bit then we expect to see a new bud emerging from the soil in the next month or so. The hope is that we will get another huge leaf growing for the next few years. Then, who knows what could potentially happen! Maybe we will get another flower bud on this plant in 3-4 years! Time will tell!
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!
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!
