Hi Gabriele, The plant your friend is hugging in the photo at:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_CjrijNLWo6o/R4pjEFUPeFI/AAAAAAAAB3c/Tp9U8pzjNYw/s1600-h/P1080557.JPG http://waycanguk.blogspot.com/ is indeed an Amorphophallus species.... and it is one of the bigger ones. Your friend got a bit carried away in his blog; these plants are not the botanic equivalent of a clouded leopard because they're actually quite common in some parts of S.E.Asia. Also, they are not trees, but flowering plants closely related to the common Arum Lily. They have a subterranean tuber (in some species this is massive) that produces, at different times of the year, a vegetative shoot (as shown in the photo) and a relatively short-lived inflorescence. The species have an annual dormant period, despite mostly being found in ever-wet forests. Cheers, Peter O'Byrne in Singapore _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
