Does anyone grow species in the genus Dracontium. I have a D. giganteum which reached about 4 meters (13 ft.) last season and still hasn,t flowered.
Just how big have they got to get before they will flower ?. Does anyone know which part of South America it comes from ?. There is very little information available
on any of this genus. The pic is of one of last years babies. It is a prolific producer of new plants as small bulbs grow from the main tuber. Bob.
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Hi Bob,
You are right, there is very little info out there on this genus. The RHS Dictionary lists only 4 species and all it basically says is culture similar to Amorphophallus, which isn't much help! It also says leaves up to 4 metres but it doesn't say which ones actually get to that size. Would you like to swap a baby one for some Dracunculus vulgaris, Arum paleastrum or Arum dioscorides? I will have spare tubers of all three towards the end of the year. I also have Amorphophallus konjac and A. abyssinicus, but they haven't propagated themselves yet, so I'd have to put you on a want list for a while if you would rather have one of those species. DMail me and let me know if you are interested.
Ciao, KK.
The one now in flower at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens doesn't have a species name; it's from Costa Rica. (will post photo later)
I have seen photos of them 10 feet tall flowering in Australia by a good friend of mine. Their are quite a few species of Dracontium in South America and I am sure new species will be discovered later. It is not looked at near as much as other aroids in that area. I have I believe 5 species here and I have a friend with about 15 species some maybe new unnamed forms. In most cases it seems they can flower after reaching 6 feet tall if they feel like it but at times it can take many years for them to bloom. A slight dormant time can help as this is usually when mine flower after going dormant for a few months.
Thanks. The tuber on mine is a good size now and just coming out of dormancy. I dug it up to get some smaller tubers to send to a
couple of members who asked if I had spares. Bob.
This was taken 10 days after the other one. As the tuber grows the small bulbils rotate to the edge and then shoot. They can be removed earlier
but I get a much better strike rate with ones taken from the outer edge. Bob.
