"Uncle Fester" (people's choice name) should bloom sometime in the next few days in Vancouver's Bloedel Conservatory Expect long lines, but it is something that truly doesn't happen that often...
Uncle Fester is not open yet. Here is a direct link to info about it: Watch our titan arum grow. According to conservatory staff, it was just moved into the conservatory two or three weeks ago, but it has been in Vancouver for six years, came originally from Costa Rica. Another visitor told me that the conservatory hours are extended this weekend: 7am to 11pm. The exact wording on the website is "Once the plant blooms, Bloedel Conservatory will extend its hours to 7am - 11pm for a two-day “smell it while you can” experience!" So if it doesn't open on Saturday, the hours won't be extended on Saturday?? I hope to drop by on the way home from a party. This is a very big deal for the conservatory - there are signs everywhere, and the staff are all wearing t-shirts featuring it. Here are a couple of time-lapse videos from other locations. Ted, at the Botanical Concervatory at UC Davis: (link is from this page: UCDavis: Botanical Conservatory) Perry, at the green house at Gustavus Adolphus College: At two Botany Photos of the Day: Amorphophallus titanum Amorphophallus titanum
I thought Uncle Fester might be looking a little fatter, but he's not open yet, and really, he doesn't look all that different to me from how he looked three days ago. Sunday, July 15, 6pm. Well, so much for what I know. Friend Janet, with whom I went to visit it yesterday (late hours hadn't started yet as it hadn't opened - we didn't get to see it), just phoned to say that the conservatory just posted on FB that it's opening now (8pm) and they will be open tonight until 11pm. So we're going back.
Here is a photo at 10:30pm. The plant is lit up like this - it wasn't flash. Janet has promised to post better photos, but won't get to them until tomorrow night. No smell yet. The plant temperature is only 73 degrees, so it hasn't heated up yet. There was no lineup tonight until around 10:15, and they stopped letting people in at 10:30, a big mistake in my opinion, since the advertising all said "open until 11" and people who had driven a long way to see it were understandably upset. So don't arrive late Monday or Tuesday and expect to get in.
Two photos from Sunday night. The first was taken at 9:20pm, the second at 10:30pm. Hard to get a clear shot, with so many people around.
It was looking good this morning. Line-ups are long, we got there at 6:40 or so and didn't have to wait long, but I think getting there after 7 means at least an hour if not more. The news crews occupied much of the prime viewing area, so I think the line-up might get a little shorter or move faster now that they've left.
Where did the last three years go? I thought this Titan Arum opened last year! Well, time flies, and it's time to see it again at the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver. Reservations are required this time. Titan arum bloom | City of Vancouver Here is a 10-minute video from Orchidweb, of two of these plants at the blooming phase, showing how the staff at Orchids Limited are pollenating them. The blooming and pollination process of TWO Corpse Flowers! - YouTube And this video from Cornell U shows the fruits, checking for fertile ones, and planting them. It also shows a leaf. Cornell Titan Arum Update: December 2012 - YouTube
I have read more carefully the info sent my by VanDusen - it seems we don't know yet if what is developing is just a leaf or if it will bloom: [Edited] Now I'm reading the email from the conservatory where this is growing (administratively part of VanDusen) that says So maybe we do know. [Edited again]: I received a new mailing from VanDusen. We do know that it is going to bloom this year.
I had a 20 minute visit with Uncle Fester today, actually plenty of time to see him and check out other plants in the conservatory. One of the gardeners said they're thinking it will be 7 to 10 days until the flower opens, so I booked another visit for next week.
He's not there yet. I was already reserved for tomorrow, but I thought it looked close enough to how it looked just before it opened last time that I should go today just in case. I'll still go tomorrow.
What a brat. I was there on Tuesday (the day after the previous posting), and there was no evident difference at all. Yesterday, when I could not go, he opened his flower. This is a screen shot from the live feed yesterday evening. I had already booked for today (4:40pm, so possibly more than 24 hours after it opened), and the open flower still looks good, but there is only a faint smell, not really unpleasant.