Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - alpine house and news

[Maggi Young]

Photo from AlanElliott, showing how Dionysias are beginning to hug the contours of the tufa in the new alpine house

[Mark Griffiths]

nice! do we know which species / hybrid they are - the label just seem to say "Dionysia"? Maybe some farinose D. tapetodes or hybrid there of? Actually looks more like Androsace vandellii to my old eyes.

[alanelliott]

nice! do we know which species / hybrid they are - the label just seem to say "Dionysia"? Maybe some farinose D. tapetodes or hybrid there of? Actually looks more like Androsace vandellii to my old eyes.

It has an interesting backstory. It came to the garden as seed of Dionysia confiscated by the Dutch authorities - it has yet to flower. So might be something other than a Dionysia. We'll have to wait and see

[Mark Griffiths]

@ Alan, interesting. The other thing they look like is a Draba but I'm sure that's been considered. Interesting also they've got to that size but not flowered yet.

[alanelliott]

@ Alan, interesting. The other thing they look like is a Draba but I'm sure that's been considered. Interesting also they've got to that size but not flowered yet.

You'd be surprised what hangs about out of sight and out of mind.....

[jomowi]

Far from being an alpine (!), but I don't see anything on the Forum about the impending flowering of the "world's biggest and smelliest flower" as posted by the RBGE website:

http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/edinburgh/titan-arum

Al - if you see this, do you think tomorrow (Monday) would be a good day to go and see it.  I would like to catch it in full flower.

[Maggi Young]

We've been re-Tweeting  and repeating Facebook posts from the Titan Arum in Edinburgh - it's amazing the speed it's been growing at.

[Maggi Young]

This afternoon's Tweet on the Titan Arum in RBGE

"223.5cm today, posing with Louise for scale! Growth rate is slowing... full bloom soon @TheBotanics #NewReekie  "

[Maggi Young]

 and "Cake Fest Edinburgh has a perfect effigy of the plant included on its map!"



Hope the cake tastes better than the flower will smell!!
http://edinburgh.cakefest.org.uk/

[Mark Griffiths]

wow on both pics

mmm, cake.

[David Nicholson]

This afternoon's Tweet on the Titan Arum in RBGE

"223.5cm today, posing with Louise for scale! Growth rate is slowing... full bloom soon @TheBotanics #NewReekie  "

(Attachment Link)

I have no comment to make

[johnw]

That RBGE Titan almost looks like an albino form....

john

[jomowi]

We've been re-Tweeting  and repeating Facebook posts from the Titan Arum in Edinburgh - it's amazing the speed it's been growing at.

I was out of the country for 2 weeks, so missed it, but today I was determined to be there and to prove it: (but for grandchildren only to view!)

[jomowi]

At 8.45 this morning there were 30-40 people queueing at the gate.  We were greeted by John Mitchell who said the flower opened at 4pm yesterday, and the smell was so strong no one could stay in the greenhouse for too long.  This morning, although the flower was at its peak, there was hardly any smell.  It is expected to last another day. 

A tip for anyone intending to go along: use your body heat well in advance to warm your camera lens otherwise it will fog up the moment you enter the greenhouse.  I should have been wise to this, as I go there frequently and my specs do likewise!  I had to sneak around a second time to get a clear picture.

[Maggi Young]

It is a real giant, isn't it?  Thank goodness the pong wasn't too bad.