Family: Araceae
Latin name: Amorphophallus costatus
Origin: Borneo
This is a very rare Amorphophallus species that is rarely offered. The seeds come from a plant under cultivation, the inflorescence of which can be seen in the photo and is almost completely open. The species was discovered in 1991 in the extreme south of Borneo at an altitude of 400 meters along a stream. It was named in 1994 by Wilbert Hetterscheid, who did a lot of research in Wageningen on the Amorphophallus genus.
The leaf can reach a height of about 60 cm and has a light stem with dark spots. The inflorescence can grow up to 40 cm high, with the bract itself having a size of about 20 cm. The base has a pinkish color with dark spots and the rest of the inflorescence is colored dark brown-purple. This also applies to the spadix that rises above the bract. The flowers give off a strong cheesy scent to attract insects for pollination.
The plant grows from an underground tuber with 1 leaf at a time. Each leaf is followed by a larger leaf and if the tuber has stored enough energy, the plant can flower. Provide well-draining, consistently moist soil. When the species is at rest, you can temporarily give a little less water.
Sowing instructions: The already germinated seed can be sown directly in a well-drained soil with organic material and eg perlite. For the first development, a temperature of 25-30 degrees Celsius is optimal.
Sowing time: All year
Difficulty Level: Medium
Minimum temperature: 15 degrees Celsius