perth

These were taken last year during my week-long stay in Perth, Western Australia.

Dimerocostus argenteus

Not a lot of information is known about this species. Nevertheless, it is a rarity which any serious collector like myself would want to cultivate.

fruit of labour

Several weeks back, I posted some photos of my potted pineapple plant (Ananas comosus) which flowered. Aout 2 months later, I managed to harvest the fruit of my labour and i'm proud to say that, THAT was one sweet pineapple.

As Dole was the plantation which the pineapple had come from, it was most either the fruit of the cultivar, 'Smooth Cayenne' or the low acid hybrid known as the 'Hilo'. Anyway, I've planted the crown of that fruit with the hope that it would produce more pineapples over time.

myrica rubra - "yang mei"

Some people might find this fruit rather familiar. On the one hand, it resembles the lychee while on the other, it does look a wee bit like a round strawberry. As this tree originates from east Asia, mainly China, it is often referred to as "Yang Mei" or Chinese Bayberry. I found these at a fruit store at Ghim Moh market yesterday after my gym work-out. I remember tasting it before, although I can't exactly remember where or when. Strangely, it tastes just the way it looks, sweet and sour with a very luscious 'berry-like' texture.

I've kept a couple of seeds with the intention of planting them. However, I doubt our climate will be suitable for the cultivation of these plants. Still, no harm trying!

will the real corpse flower please stand up!

Talking about the weird and the wonderful (see post on aristolochia below), the other two which undeniably fall into this category are the Rafflesia and the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) of the Araceae family.

The name "corpse flower" has been applied to both because both reek of rotting flesh and both happen to have extremely large flowers. Incidentally, both can also be found on the Island of Sumatra. The Rafflesia is considered to be the world's largest flower. The Titan Arum on the other hand is the world's largest unbranched inflorescence. The Tailpot Palm (Corypha umbraculifera forms the largest branched inflorescence. Here are write-ups I found on Wikipedia.

Titan Arum

Amorphophallus titanum or Titan Arum, is a tuberous plant endemic to western Sumatra, where it grows in openings in rainforest on limestone hills. Locals know it by the more evocative name 'corpse flower' (bunga bangkai), because of the hideous stench the fly-pollinated inflorescences produce. Mature tubers of A. titanum typically weigh between 25 and 50 kg, with weights up to 75 kg recorded. Tubers produce solitary, highly dissected leaves over 3 m high and 4 m across. Leaves persist for ca. 1-2 years. The plant enters a dormant phase of several months after a leaf senesces, before sending up a replacement leaf and growing a new root system. Leaves are hysteranthous: flowers are borne by otherwise dormant plants. The timing of dormancy and growth phases seems to be more or less random with respect to the seasons; wild populations are reported to have plants in various stages of growth at any given time. It is unclear why the plants ever go dormant at all, given their equatorial habitat.

Flower buds emerge shortly after tubers become dormant, and are accompanied by the development of a limited root system, unlike the flowers of temperate Amorphophallus species. Inflorescences consist of a fluted spathe (petal-like leaf) with a meat-like purple interior, and a sickly-yellow spadix (central stem bearing many small male and female flowers). While technically not single flowers, the inflorescences of A. titanum are the largest flower-like structures in the plant kingdom, often reaching 2 m high and 1 m in diameter, or larger. While open, the spadix warms itself with metabolic heat, in what is perhaps an adaptation to volatilize and disperse its carrion-insect-attracting odor. The putrid smell of the corpse flower is strongest just after the spathe unfurls, late at night, suggesting pollination by nocturnal flies and beetles.

Rafflesia

Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It was discovered in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr. Joseph Arnold in 1818, and named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the leader of the expedition. It contains approximately 27 species (including four incompletely characterized species as recognized by Meijer 1997), all found in southeastern Asia, on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. It is an endoparasite of vines in the genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae), spreading its root-like haustoria inside the tissue of the vine. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower. In some species, such as Rafflesia arnoldii, the flower may be over 100 centimetres (39 in) in diameter, and weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb). Even the smallest species, R. manillana, has 20 cm diameter flowers. The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names which translate to "corpse flower" or "meat flower" (but see below). The vile smell that the flower gives off attracts insects such as flies and carrion beetles, which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Little is known about seed dispersal. However, tree shrews and other forest mammals apparently eat the fruits and disperse the seeds. Rafflesia is an official state flower of Indonesia, also Sabah state in Malaysia, as well as for the Surat Thani Province, Thailand.

the many faces of the aristolochia

The Aristolochia probably ranks as a plant which should be grown in a section called the "Weird and the Wonderful", along with others like the Rafflesia and the Titan Arum.

I saw this (pictured right) at AMK this morning. At first, I thought this was the A. grandiflora, but now I think this is the A. brasiliensis. Then again, I could be wrong because there are some 500 over different species across the world, some of which look virtually alike. This is the first time i've seen it 'in the flesh', and I have to say, it's pretty darn big, almost as wide as an SKII face mask. Hopefully mine will mature quickly enough to bear flowers.

Here's what I found on Wikipedia:-

"Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipes, they are the namesake of the family (Aristolochiaceae). They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates, but they are not native to Australia. Some species, like A. utriformis and A. westlandii, are threatened with extinction.

Aristolochia is a genus of evergreen and deciduous woody vines and herbaceous perennials. The smooth stem is erect or somewhat twining. The simple leaves are alternate and cordate, membranous, growing on leaf stalks. There are no stipules.

The flowers grow in the leaf axils. They are inflated and globose at the base, continuing as a long perianth tube, ending in a tongue-shaped, brightly colored lobe. There is no corolla. The calyx is one to three whorled, and three to six toothed. The sepals are united (gamosepalous). There are six to 40 stamens in one whorl. They are united with the style, forming a gynostemium. The ovary is inferior and is four to six locular.

These flowers have a specialized pollination mechanism. The plants are aromatic and their strong scent attracts insects. The inner part of the perianth tube is covered with hairs, acting as a fly-trap. These hairs then wither to release the fly, covered with pollen.

The fruit is dehiscent capsule with many endospermic seeds.

The common names "Dutchman's Pipe" and "Pipevine" (e.g. Common Pipevine, A. durior) are an allusion to old-fashioned meerschaum pipes at one time common in the Netherlands and Northern Germany. "Birthwort" (e.g. European Birthwort, A. clematitis) refers to these species' flower shape, resembling a birth canal. Some reference books[citation needed] state that the scientific name Aristolochia was developed from Ancient Greek aristos (άριστος) "best" + locheia (λοχεία), "childbirth" or "childbed".