Re: [Aroid-l]Largest flower/infloresence

**&* B* <j*@msn.com>**

From : 	Steve Marak <samarak@gizmoworks.com>

Reply-To : 	Discussion of aroids <aroid-l@gizmoworks.com>
Sent : 	Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:40 PM
To : 	Discussion of aroids <aroid-l@gizmoworks.com>
Subject : 	Re: [Aroid-l] Rafflesia flower size

Thanks Steve! I was waiting for SOMEONE to come up w/ the correct facts on

these three 'giants', so to all of us 'nuts' out there, the facts are stated

below in Steve`s note! Raflesia IS in fact the biggest single flower.

Concerning the largest infloresence, it is difficult to comprehend how big

an infloresence a Talipot palm can and does produce. For those who have

never seen one, let me 'exsplashiate' (a Trinidadian slang term,

:--)-------- the Talipot palm is one of the 'giant' fan-palm species, and

grows for many years (30-60??) to adult size (40 ft. or so?), and

THEN!!!!------and THEN!$!$!$!$!$!$---------a HUGE 'ostrich plume' of

flowers, JUST GLORIOUS IN ITS FINAL FORM AND COLOR emerges from the center

of the crown, reaching upward for months, and finally opening into THE most

glorious spectacle, maybe 14 or 15 meters tall by 10 meters wide, almost

impossible to comprehend, cream-white when at its anthesis, hundreds of

nectar-loving birds and insects surrounding and in it! I saw a photo a few

years ago taken from a plane or helicopter of a HUGE one in bloom somewhere

in Venezuela, and as a boy back in Trinidad (around 1960?) a HUGE one came

into bloom near our Botanical gardens, and my Dad (now dead) took multiple

photos, I will try to get my brother to locate them in his collection of

Dad`s slides. This treasure of the plant kindom, having bloomed but once

after growing for so many years, and having spent its all in reproduction,

then dies!

So---onwards to bigger, better and other discussions! Thanks to all who

took part!

Julius

"Largest flower" is a question that seems to interest even people without

our

addiction. I've read the following several places:

largest single flower - Rafflesia arnoldii
largest unbranched inflorescence - Amorphophallus titantum
largest branched inflorescence - Corypha umbraculifera (talipot palm)

although I've also seen Puya raimondii, one of those incredible Andean
bromeliads, as a contender in the last category. The inflorescence is in the
same size range (6-10 meters), but the palm seems to win on flower count by
a couple of orders of magnitude (and probably on total weight, too).

Of course, seeing it several places may just mean most of the writers copied

it

from the same original source.

Steve

-- Steve Marak
-- samarak@gizmoworks.com
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