Audrey III is Blooming Blog

Mona, my cat, has even grown tired of the Amorphophallus smell. Last Wednesday, after I pollinated Audrey III, I was covered in her scent. The moment I returned home, she started going crazy and was following me through the house. Once I changed clothes, she decided to sleep in the leg of my jeans that I had just removed. Mona was clearly suffering from Amorphophallus fever, but she seems to have recovered now.

Yesterday, I was saturated with the Amorphophallus stench and upon returning home, Mona glanced and then went into the kitchen, waiting for me to feed her. She was no longer interested in the smell that lingered on my clothes and hair, and I must say, I myself was a little overwhelmed by the scent. Last night I was feeling sick to my stomach, and after a shower and some peppermint tea, climbed into bed, hoping to wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

This morning, I definitely felt better after completing my Pilates class, which I had missed throughout the week due to long nights with Audrey III. I then headed over the conservatory, and was amazed when I still detected a faint scent of rotting fish. Luckily I brought some peppermint oil with me to relieve my nose when necessary!

Audrey III has been dazzling visitors throughout the morning.

Thankfully a great team of volunteers has pitched in at a moments notice to help interpret this botanical wonder to the public. People are always amazed at the size and the stench that Audrey III puts out and it really is rewarding to see people enjoying a beautiful day at Fairchild.

Today we had a number of school groups visiting the garden and talking with them about Audrey III was both entertaining and enlightening. While explaining that the plant was seven feet one inch tall one child asked me, "Is that as tall as Shaq?" Audrey III is in fact the same height as Shaq, and that always impresses our younger visitors much more than telling them we set a Fairchild record for the tallest Amorphophallus!

Audrey has started opening!

I left the garden this afternoon feeling confident that Audrey III would wait another day until opening. I had talked with some other Amorphophallus titanum experts, and they were pretty certain it would be a few days until she opened. Trusting in their opinions and the cooler weather, I departed, hoping to get some rest.

The previous night fire alarms were sounding in my apartment building throughout the night and I was not able to get any sleep. All night long I listened to alarms sounding followed by a voice saying, “This is an announcement. The fire alarm is going off due to water on the roof. You do not need to leave your apartment. Everything is under control.” However, every 20 minutes the alarm would start sounding again, followed by instructions not to worry. So, I was looking forward to getting a little rest and preparing myself for a busy Thursday. However, Audrey III had different plans.

About 30 minutes after leaving the garden, I received a call from Martha Kent, a horticulturist at Fairchild, telling me that Audrey III was beginning to open. I then raced back to the garden, and could see Audrey III beginning to open. I’m now going to prepare to pollinate her tonight. I think we’ll play some Marvin Gaye and hope that helps to ensure a successful pollination.

We’ve experienced unusually cool temperatures and wet weather over the past day and I wonder is this environmental change could be affecting Audrey’s growth rate. She only gained 1.5 inches in height yesterday, which is the smallest increase we’ve measured to this date. She does seem to be getting a little plumper though and the red color in the spathe is definitely deepening. Maybe Audrey III is also sensing that the cool, rainy weather has also kept visitors away. All Amorphophallus titanum are accustomed to being showered with complements, posing for photo shoots, and receiving media coverage when they bloom, and Audrey III is just waiting for the crowd.

Last night I was talking with Craig Allen, Fairchild’s previous conservatory manager, to get some advice from the expert who bloomed Fairchild’s first Amorphophallus titanum. While talking on the phone, he said, “Oh, I’m looking at the webcam now. It looks likes Audrey is beginning to open.” I instantly screamed into the phone and Craig responded, “Gotcha. I’m just kidding.”

This would not be the only false alarm of the evening.

Yesterday I asked Mary Neustein, a member of Fairchild’s education department, to give me a call if she detected any movement in Audrey III, as she was hosting a class in the conservatory last night. At home I could check on Audrey III via the webcam until about 8pm, but once the sunlight fades, so does my ability to check on Audrey III. Around 9 pm last night I received a call from Fairchild while I was talking with my mom. I immediately hung up with my mom in anticipation of some breaking news from Mary. The call was, however, another false alarm. Mary was just calling to let me know that her class went well and that Audrey III had not budged.

I do not know how many more false alarms I can handle!

Though Audrey III has been progressing rapidly, I think she will wait at least one more night until opening. I would clearly fail miserably as a fortune teller.

After continual observation today, there are a few signs that we might have to wait a little longer for Audrey III to bloom. The spathe is still close to the spadix and should deepen in color more before the final unfurling. The time is approaching though and everyone is looking forward to one of the most unusual and uncommon occurrences in the natural world.

The time is approaching! Audrey III’s growth is slowing down, only increasing 2.5 inches yesterday. This decrease in growth rate is an indicator that she is getting ready to bloom.

You can tell when an Amorphophallus titanum is getting ready to bloom because the growth rate slows down, the inside of the spathe, the bell-shaped part of the bloom, begins turning a deep crimson color, the spadix, or central structure of the bloom, begins to deepen in color, and the bract drops away from the spathe.

However, in previous blooms, not all of the indicators have been present at the time of blooming, making it difficult to predict when exactly Audrey III will bloom.

As someone who likes to plan things in advance, the uncertainty involved in this event is a little unsettling for me. I do think it will be sometime this week, but as for the exact date, I believe only Audrey III knows that.

The other day we discussed moving Audrey III to her final location to allow for the public's best viewing opportunity of her dramatic display. During this discussion we talked about the risks of moving her, the threat from raccoons and other wildlife outside, and potential weather related damage. We eventually decided upon her final placement among Dale Chihuly's macchia forest, which has proven to be a safe and secure location. However, all of these potential hazards stayed in the back of my mind and surfaced in one strange dream!

Last night I awoke from a nightmare in which Audrey III had been damaged. The details of this 'dream' are a bit hazy, but I recall someone trying to move Audrey III into another location and in doing so, breaking her bloom in half. The results were catastrophic and accompanied by a flood of prank calls to the Amorphophallus hotline and cruel e-mail messages. Fortunately I woke up to realize that this was only a dream. On the other hand, I think this dream is a clear sign that I am coming down with Amorphophallus fever. Let's hope this sickness does not progress any further!

It is a good thing Jeff, our computer technician, and I installed the webcam today, because you can practically watch Audrey grow before your eyes.

Audrey III is growing at an incredible rate. Over a 24 hour period she grew 8 inches. This growth rate is incredibly fast, even for an Amorphophallus titanum!

The largest height increase recorded last year in a 24 hour period was 5.5 inches. I would like to predict that this amazing growth rate means she will set a height record for Amorphophallus titanum at Fairchild, but you can never be certain what this plant will do. Luckily the webcam is installed now so we can keep a close eye on Audrey III!