Amorphophallus paeoniifolius elephant foot yam 15 seeds 1A

Description

Growth Form
Deciduous herbaceous aroid shrub, up to 2.5m tall, with no apparent stem above ground. Solitary stem-like leaf stalk is fleshy, green and speckled with attractive paler green spots or blotches. Stalk arises from undeground tuber to reach 1.5 - 2.0m above ground surface and holds up a single leaf like an umbrella, thus making the plant resemble a miniature tree.
Foliage
Leaf blade divided into hundreds of small leaflets, with whole cluster reaching 1.5 -3.0m across. Leaflets 3-lobed, each lobe divided into pinnatisect segments. Several leaves may be produced from accessory tubers. Leaves die down after blooming, and regrow from tuber during next season.
Flowers
Held on a single spadix crowned with large bulbous knob, and encircled by a taller, funnel-shaped, velvet-like spathe. Spathe dark brown to maroon on inside, pale green with white spots on exterior, with glossy wrinked margins. Whole inflorescence reaches 40-50cm tall by 30-40cm across. Female flowers found on lower part of spadix, with male flowers towards top and a transitional zone in between. Inflorescence emits foul decaying odour which attracts pollinator carrion flies and beetles, and fades after flowers are pollinated. Fruits are cylindrical berries maturing from green to bright red, and attracts birds and squirrels.
Others - Plant Morphology
Storage Organ:
Underground tuber squatly hemispherical, up to 30cm in diameter and 25kg in weight, dark brown with a covering of short rough hairs. Offsets may be borne around main tuber.
Cultivation
Prefers deep, moist but well-drained, fertile soils with lots of organic matter. Avoid planting in waterlogged clayey soils, which hinder tuber formation and promote rotting. Tubers prone to being attacked by soil nematodes. Propagate by tubers, which should be dusted with fungicide before being buried in ground or large deep pot. After foliage dies down completely, tuber can be harvested by lifting carefully from soil. Avoid injuring tubers which may result in rotting. Also avoid direct skin contact with any damaged plant surface as sap is known to be an irritant.
Etymology
Genus epithet 'Amorphophallus' means deformed phallus, an allusion to the shape of the inflorescence and tubers. Species epithet 'paeoniifolius' means having leaves like Peony (Paeonia), and is named after ancient Greek physician Paeon, who was supposed to be the first to use plants medicinally.

Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade
Light Shade
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
The plant can be propagated from offsets of the corm or by fresh seed sown in a slightly acidic seed raising mix. As most of the starch stored in the corm is used to produce the leaf, transplanting should not be attempted until the leaf has wilted and the new corm developed.
best sown in a pot in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe and the pot sealed in a plastic bag to retain moisture. It usually germinates in 1 - 8 months at 24°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least a couple of years. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and give them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away strongly.\
New message from:
stevesoddhobbies
(341
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thanks for the fresh seeds. been trying to grow theses for 4 years now, always bought bulbs. but they do what they do every year they rot. so decided to buy seeds to see if that would be better this way they can grow in my climate at the beginning of its life. sorry so long but to let you know I planted them the day I received them & today I noticed 6 sprouts. I'm so happy 😊 thanks again I'll buy more thanks
The seeds just arrived on Sept 18, 2022 from Thailand.