Wetzel Hall Implosion

Okay, this has nothing to do with the Botany Greenhouse but had to put it up here anyway.

Wetzel Hall Implosion

The Show Is Over

Last night, Titan #3 collapsed.  Upon seeing that from home, I came in and pulled the plug on the live feed.  I do not have a clue as to why Titan #3 collapsed.  I speculate that some cool night temperatures may have effected it some.  (I do not think it was the total cause.)  The greenhouse was without steam (used for heating) for several weeks and there were several nights that it did get into the fortys.  Tropical plants generally do not like low temperatures and some get very finicky with anything below 50°F.  At this point, I am hoping the tuber survives and sprouts a leaf later this summer.

Below is a picture from last night of the male and female flowers of Titan #3.  The male flowers may still yield pollen that I can collect and store.

Houston We Have A Problem

Still do not know why Titan #3 is doing what it is doing, but it does not look good.  If you compare today's pictures with yesterday's, you can tell that it definitely has a problem and appears to be going down hill.  I have my doubts that it will even open now.   

Two Others

Currently, there are two other Titan Arums that will bloom within weeks if not days of each.  One is Big Bucky at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  As you may recall from earlier posts, Big Bucky was the ovule donor for the WIU Titans.  The other Titan is located at The Ohio State University.  Each have a live internet feed.

 University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Ohio State University

Don't Know...

I don't know what to make of the Titan this morning.  As the pictures show, there is a separation in the spadix.  I have not seen this before, so I do not have any idea the cause and consequently the effect it will have on the overall bloom.

What's in the Picture

Thought I would post a picture with labels of the plants that are seen in the current live feed. As with all of the pictures on this blog, clicking on them will bring up a full size image.

Live Video Feed Is Up

The live video feed of WIU Titan #3 is up!   It can be found on Ustream.  Thanks again to those at U-Tech that set it up. 

Here We Go Again!

Almost two years after it initially bloomed, WIU Titan #3, is in the process of doing it again.  To refresh your memory about the first time it bloomed, you can go back to here and here.  It measured to be 18 1/4 inches tall this morning.   I do not anticipate it to get as big as it did in 2010 (6' 7" tall overall and the spath was 44" across).  Now, the question is when will it open?  I am predicting ten days to two weeks but it is just a guesstimate at this point.  Seems like a good office pool contest though!

Here are some previous posts that will provide some background:
  Titan Arum At WIU And In General
  A Little WIU Botany Greenhouse History

Cacao Fruit Development Video

Cacao!

One of the Botany Greenhouse's cacao trees ( Theobroma cacao ) finally produced a fruit.  After watching it develop since last fall, I harvested and sliced it open to collect the seeds.  The seeds have been placed in containers so hopefully, some will germinate.

WIU Titan #2 Time-Lapse Video

Finally downloaded the pictures from the plant cam to produce this little movie of titan #2. Here are a few highlights to look for; between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the 13th, you will see the spathe ever so slightly start to open and pull away from the spadix, between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the 14th, the spathe appears to stop moving and be fully open and then between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on the 14th, it appears the spathe is starting to close.

325% Increase In Titans

Okay, that sounds like a pretty exorbitant claim. Today, I removed the offshoots from Titan #1 and potted them. The top picture is a "before" picture taken on 9/12/11. The bottom picture is the "after" picture showing the 13 offshoots. So, this morning we started with 4 containers of titans in the WIU Botany Greenhouse and this afternoon we ended with 17 containers of titans, a 325% increase.

Almost Black

A few pictures to show how dark the spathe is. As always, clicking on a picture will bring up the full size version.

Closing

The spathe of Titan #2 is slowly closing back up. You can see the slow closing when comparing the above two pictures. The top picture is from 8 a.m. and the bottom is from 2 p.m. today. Yes, it still is producing an odor, not constant but occasionally and not as strong as it did on Tuesday night.

Day After

Evening Pictures

A couple of pictures from this evenings opening of Titan #2. It has been taking it's time to open and is still not open fully as of 11:30 p.m. It is producing quite the odor though. It is a much stronger odor than the previous two and has been described as having a cabbage like smell to it. The inside coloration of the spathe is also much darker that the previous WIU Titans. It looks almost like black velvet.

Finally

Finally, Titan #2 has decided to open. I expect it to take until 7, 8 or 9 p.m. today to fully open. The greenhouse will be open until midnight for anyone that wants to see this first hand.

WIU Titan Family

In today's picture, you can see all four titans we have in the greenhouse. #1 and #3 bloomed last year (May and June). After blooming, #3 went through the expected routine of dormancy and then growing a leaf, which is now going dormant again. Titan #1 had a little problem after blooming. It initially started to send a leaf bud out but for some reason it aborted it and the bud subsequently died. What #1 is now doing is sending up sprouts from all around the corm. Titan #4 has not produced and inflorescence yet and may be due to the fact that it is a multiple also. This past year there were three leaves in the pot.

Colors

It seems the colors of the spadix and spathe are intensifying. Is this another sign that it will open soon?

Sunday 9/11 Update

It is 3 p.m. and Titan #2's spathe has not moved any today. This morning was the first time I could smell the Titan without being right on top of it. It is definitely getting closer to opening, just not today. By this time tomorrow we should know if it will open on Monday or not.