‘Titan Arum’ CategoryPage 4

Perry the Corpse Flower is Opening!

Perry was ecstatic about an extended visit from her/his dear friend and ardent admirer Emily Pelton (Gustavus 2007) today.  Emily was heavily involved with the Perry event in May 2007, and is now a volunteer for Perry II, along with graduate study for her chemistry Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.  (See Emily in the […]

Corpse Flower Update – Not Thursday?

My last looks at Perry, both in person this afternoon at about 5:30 and via webcam up until a few minutes ago, tend to make me think that Perry will not open on the 21st (Thursday), though I could be wrong (that sometimes happens…).  Opening might begin on Thursday… Friday?  Saturday?  Keep an eye on […]

Perry the Corpse Flower – Then and Now

Here’s a brief comparison of Perry’s inflorescence at similar stages of growth in May 2007 and now, complete with scale objects.  The human scale from May 2007 is Alex Burum, now probably the second most famous Amorphophallus titanum scale object of all time (first place goes to Hugo de Vries – see below).  The current […]

A Titanic Family Tradition

Perry was overjoyed all over again this past Sunday, when a goodly segment (four out of five) of his/her favorite family of Perryophiles, the Pattons, visited soon after the visit of Molly and Andrew.  They’ve been participating in Gustavus Amorphophallus happenings since a week or so before Perry’s first flowering about 3 1/2 years ago, […]

Perry Flowering Status Update

I took a look at Perry at about 4:25 this afternoon, and the spathe shows no sign of unfurling (flapping back of the edge along the seam), even though the parts of the edge at the top seem to have flared out a bit more.  At about 8:15 this morning, Perry had a distinct barnyardish […]

Molly! Perryophile Extraordinaire

Perry was highly pleased to receive a visit from one of her/his most dedicated fans, Molly E. J. Winter (formerly Molly Jordan)  and her husband Andrew yesterday.  Molly, now in veterinary school, graduated from Gustavus in 2007, so was here for Perry’s inaugural flowering in May 2007.  She was the first person to inquire about […]

Titanic Titillations

Perry the Corpse Flower continues her/his coyness with regard to his/her actual date(s) of opening.  Signs of the impending burst of full flowering will be:  falling away of the cataphylls at the base of Perry’s now-titanic inflorescence (signifying roughly two days until full flowering), and a heavy surge of purple pigment into the leafy tips […]

Vive la Perry!

Happy Bastille Day from Perry and her/his mentor and godfather! Perry continues to grow at an astounding rate.  I’ve included a calibration photo for the present growth:  Perry at approximately the same stage on May 5, 2007.  The other photos were taken on July 13 and 14.  The second of those features new Perryophile Matt […]

The Perry Blossom Special

The Perry Train has long since left the station, and is now barreling along at full speed.  Perry’s inflorescence continues to grow at a rate of centimeters per day, and an organization has been created to coordinate activities.   Once the “It’s opening!” button is pushed, the well-oiled machine that is the Perry Lollapalooza Plan […]

Titan Arum Eruption – The Spadix Emerges

Perry the Corpse Flower (aka Titan Arum, aka Amorphophallus titanum) continues his/her volcanic skyward surge.  In the initial stage of the titanic vegetable eruption, the spathe (the leafy, outer part of the inflorescence), in a grinning, somewhat Elvis-like manner, revealed her/himself to human eyes on July 4, 2010.  Fireworks were set off (probably not in […]