Perry’s Pigment Precipitates Psychological Perturbations Posted on May 12th, 2007 by

emalexandy-m051107.jpgbaleen-mesclun-051107m.jpgbaleen-separation_051107m.jpgI took one of my former students (a current friend and colleague), now a Ph.D. chemist at a company in the Twin Cities, along with one of his colleagues, on a Perry and greenhouse tour today (Friday). We then went to lunch, followed by a second visit to Perry. It appeared that Perry’s spathe had begun to unfurl a bit in the interim. A part that I had needed to pull back a bit to show the dark burgundy color at the earlier time was now peeled back a bit on its own, clearly showing the color.

Frissons of concern and anticipation traveled through the inner circle of Perry’s People. After extended conversation and comparison of earlier images with the current reality, it was decided that perhaps Perry is not about to suddenly open.

That might be incorrect, however. We’re still thinking of Sunday as the most likely date – but no one is sure, nor can they be. Perhaps Perry will choose Monday, or Tuesday, or Saturday. We’ll keep everyone posted on breaking developments, via the Gustavus website, the Titan Arum web page, and this blog – Perry is being observed quite closely now. When the opening appears to be underway, the Supreme Triad of Perry’s People will meet to make a decision as to the time at which to push the button that opens the floodgates. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, some photos from Friday, May 11 are linked via the thumbnails above. Emily, Alex, and a new face, Andy, are shown with Perry, along with closer shots of Perry’s spathe that illustrate the development of the burgundy-colored pigment.

It has been stated by an alarmingly large number of people that parts of Perry’s spathe look like lettuce. We have therefore decided to prohibit visitors from bringing bread, mayonnaise, or salad spinners into the Perry Room. Rabbits are also Lepus non grata.
Links:

live streaming video with audio

three webcams (distant, top-down, and close) and Titan Arum web page

 


6 Comments

  1. Michael Neumann says:

    I think it looks more than a giant cabbage! You should prohibit pots and stoves as well!!

    Michael

  2. Brian says:

    Hi Michael,
    It’s good to see that the Amorphophiles of the Botanical Garden of Bonn are looking on. I think that we’re seeing a U.S./German cultural difference here in the lettuce/cabbage perception :=).

    With regard to the rabbits, we’re particularly concerned about the giant ones and the titanic ones.

  3. Erin says:

    Um, not to ruin the magic of the moment and all, but I think everyone wants to know if Perry has let loose any of its highly anticipated fragrance…

    Cheers, Erin

  4. Brian says:

    Erin,
    We’ve been periodically sniffing around Perry, and have not yet detected an Amorphophalloid fragrance.

  5. Nancy Hanks says:

    Hi: I work at Hartke Nursery in St. Louis, Mo and last week had my first experience with a corpse plant. Ours (very small, of course)opened and about knocked me off my feet with the odor of spoiled meat. I can’t imagine what Perry will be like when he/she opens completely. It is an unusual plant to say the least.

  6. Lorie S says:

    Brian,
    My family and I were just there and the scent is so overwhelming. We were there for about an hour, only in the green house a few minutes but we were in Nobel helping direct visitors during the rush after the campus events. My black lab was in the truck waiting for us and when I approached the truck she was confused. I looked the same but she could smell something was different. The hair on her back was raised and she kept looking around me to see what was there. Our cat had a similar reaction when we got home. Our clothes are all in the washing machine now.