Giant Flowers

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~If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses,
what might not the heart of man
become in its long journey toward the stars?~
~G.K. Chesterton~

GIANT FLOWERS

Rafflesia
Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest, solitary, fleshy flower in the world. It is a parasitic plant that grows on the lower slopes of mountain ranges, in certain areas of South-east Asia. (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo) The first Europeans to discover the Rafflesia were Sir Stamford Raffles,(founder of Singapore) and Dr Joseph Arnold in 1816, near the town of Bencoolen (Bengkulu) in Sumatra and this particular species was named Rafflesia arnoldii in their honour.
Besides being the world's largest bloom, it is a very strange and baffling plant. The Rafflesia has no specific flowering season. It has no roots, stem or leaves. In addition, each flower produces just one seed and this seed can only germinate if it succeeds in lodging itself in the tissue of the Tetrastigma vine, which crawls along the rainforest floors. This is why the Rafflesia is usually floor bound. The flower extracts food from the vine by extending threadlike filaments into its tissue. Its penchant for attaching exclusively to the Tetrastigma partly explains why the flower is very rare.
After taking about 9 months to mature into a cabbage-sized bud, the plant opens. The petals, usually 5, sometimes 6, are red in colour and covered with lighter coloured spots. It only flowers for 5 to 6 days, before the petals blacken and the flower withers.
Although the Rafflesia can grow up to one metre in diameter, the flowers are usually half that size with the occasional monster-sized bloom appearing from time to time. The record bloom of Rafflesia arnoldii, stretched 91cms (3 ft) in diameter, 1.9 cms (3/4 ins) thick and weighed 7 kgs (15 lbs).

giant

Giant Orchid
Grammatophyllum speciosum The name grammatophyllum is derived from a Greek word, gramen - grass, and phylon - leaf. It means that this plant seems like a grass or sugar cane. This orchid is native to Southeast Asia. It can be found in Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
The flowers are long-lasting (1-2 month) but do not appear every year. The size of the blooms can be up to 12 cm across and they are yellow in color with spottings of chocolate brown or dark red. The stems are about 2 - 3 m with from 60 - 100 flowers per spike. There are 2 kinds of flowers at one spike.

Moy Grande
Texas Giant Hibiscus is a giant rose mallow which has the largest flowers of any hardy perennial. These are descendants of the native hibiscus found in Louisiana and other Gulf South states. Initially, they were sold as ~The Mallow Marvels.~
Named after Ying Doon Moy, research and development horticulturist at the San Antonio Botanical Center, who cross-bred a Hibiscus moscheutos hybrid with Hibiscus grandiflorus to create the largest, hibiscus in the world. Moy Grande has 12 inch blooms and are among the most spectacular and easily grown plants. ~Moy Grande~ recently won award status from the American Horticultural Society.

Giant Allium
Allium giganteum, or Giant Onion grows upto a height of 4 ft and produces large, round, purple flowers on a tall stalk. The flower stalks are usually quite strong. Giant allium flowers can be used as a cut or dried flower and has a long vase life of 10-14 days when properly treated for its ethylene sensitivity.

Goniopora

Giant Calico Flower
Aristolochia gigantea belongs to the family Aristolochiaceae Juss. It is a slender woody climber; leaves triangular-reniform, to 3 inches long; flowers solitary, calyx tube oblong-ovoid, to 3 inches long, limb to 20 inches long and 14 inches across, deeply cordate at base.

Giant Corpse Flower
Amorrhophallus titanum also called Devil’s Tongue or Titan Arum is one of world's largest flower and can get to 12 feet in height. They are found growing naturally in Sumatra. Titan Arum starts as a small tuber, then suddenly grows as a single tapered column, up to six inches a day, reaching heights up to nine feet before opening its cup-like petal.
The structure looks like a giant flower, but it is technically what is known as an infloresence, a cluster of flowers. The actual flowers are hidden deep near the base of the column. A single plant only blooms once every 6-10 years.

Nettle leaved Giant Hyssop
Also called ~Nettleleaf Horsemint~ Agastache urticifolia belongs to the Mint Family. It looks like a nettle or mint, but grows in dry, open places It grows from 0.6 to 1.2 m high and has coarsely toothed, alternating, opposite pairs of leaves which are 7.5 cm long and 2-8 cm wide. There is a lot of in variation in the size of leaves and flowers. Dense flowerheads may overall be white, pink or purplish; to 2.5 cm thick and 10 cm long. The thin trumpet like flower, is about 2 cm long, and has 5 narrow sepals. It is a fibrous-rooted perennial from a branching, woody caudex . Nettle leaved Giant Hyssops are an endangered species.

Giant Hummingbird's Mint
Agastache barberi is commonly known as ~Giant hyssop~ and ~agastache~
Its size at maturity is 2 feet x 1 foot wide. A woody-based perennial whose flower spikes resemble those of salvia; rose to pale magenta flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Blooms midsummer to late fall.

Giant Shirley
~Giant Shirley Purple Foxglove~ belongs to the family Scrophulariaceae. It is a biennial that self-sows, has large flowering spikes with fused, tubular petals, whose interior contains dots and stipples. The Giant Shirley has most of its flowers on one side of the inflorescence.

Kitaibelia
Kitaibelia vitifolia, is a member of Malvaceae family. Origin is the Mediterranian from Croatia to Turkey, where it grows amongst shrubs, on grassy places and in vinyards. It can reach 10 feet height and has a giant rootstock.

Giant Eulalia Grass Miscanthus floridulus
Also known as ~Giant miscanthus,~ ~Giant Chinese Silver Grass~ and ~Amur silver grass~
It is a huge and robust ornamental grass that can stand as tall as 15' and spread out more than 8' across. It has deep green, flat leaves that are slightly folded, about 3' long, with a white midvein. The leaves arch outward from stout stems up to 2" in diameter and grow upright from a central clump. In late summer or autumn, it produces 18-20 silvery silky plumes that stay silvery-white, but the foliage turns beige and russet in early winter. The leaves drop off in winter, leaving just the vertical stems. It flowers late in the season and may not bloom at all in northern latitudes. Giant miscanthus is native to Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, and other islands in that part of the Pacific. It has become a in Guam and other Pacific islands.

Giant weed

Giant Reed
Arundo donax L. also known as ~Wild Cane,~ is native to India and grows to over 20 feet in height. Giant reed was first introduced into the United States at Los Angeles, California in the early 1800s. It is a tall, perennial grass with leaves that are 1-2 inches wide and a foot long. The flowers are borne in 2-foot long, dense, plume-like panicles during August and September.
Giant reed chokes riversides and streams and kills native plants. It has a rapid growth rate and once established, it suppresses all other plants.
Giant reed has a number of uses. Primitive pipe organs were made from it and the reeds for woodwind instruments are still made from its culms. It is also used in basketry, for fishing rods, livestock fodder, medicine, and soil erosion control.

Giant Ragweed
Ambrosia trifida, commonly known as ~Kinghead,~ ~Crownweed~ and ~Horseweed~ is one of the largest annual weeds. It is native to North America and can be found in Nova Scotia, Florida, Nebraska, Colorado, and Arkansas. Giant ragweed can reach heights of more than 8 feet.
Its botanical name trifida is from the Latin tri, three, and findere, to divide, referring to its three-lobed leaves. Flowers are produced in greenish heads, each head containing either only female or male flowers.
A very competitive plant, giant ragweed causes great yield loss in crop production. Giant ragweed flowers are wind-pollinated and one of the chief causes of hay fever. The seeds are scattered by by drifting snow or flood waters.

fallmixblnk

**WORLD RECORDS FOR FLOWERS, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES**
TYPE	SIZE	GROWER/LOCATION	YEAR
Apple	3 lbs. 2 oz.	Miklovic family, Cara, MI	1992
Beetroot	40 lbs. 8 oz.	I. Neale, Newport, Wales	1994
Cabbage	124 lbs.	B. Lavery, Llanharry, Wales	1989
Cantaloupe	62 lbs.	G. Draughtridge, Rocky Mount, NC	1991
Carrot	15 lbs. 11 1/2 oz.	B. Lavery, Llanharry, Wales	1996
Celery	46 lbs. 1 oz.	B. Lavery, Llanharry, Wales	1990
Chrysanthemum	8 ft. 10 in.	M. Comer, Desdord, England	1992
Cucumber	20 lbs. 1 oz.	B. Lavery, Llanbarry, Wales	1991
Dahlia	25 ft. 7 in.	R. Blythe, Nannup, Western Australia	1990
Garlic	2 lbs. 10 oz.	R. Kirkpatrick, Eureka, Ca.	1985
Grapefruit	6 lbs 12 oz.	D. Hazelton, Queensland, Australia	1990
Grapes	20 lbs. 11 1/2 oz.	Bozzolo y Perut Ltda, Santiago, Chile	1984
Green bean	48 in.	Bill Rogerson, Robersonville, NC	1994
Leek (pot)	12 lbs. 2 oz.	P. Harrigan, Linton, England	1987
Lemon	8 lbs. 8 oz.	C. and D. Knutzen, Whittier, Ca.	1983
Long gourd	110 5/8 in.	Peter Waterman, NY	1994
Okra	19 ft. 9 1/8 in.	David Mikulka, FL.	1994
Onion	12 lbs. 4 oz.	M. Ednie, Anstruther, Scotland	1994
Parsnip	171 3/4 in.	B. Lavery, Llanharry, Wales	1990
Petunia	13 ft. 8 in.	B. Lawrence, Windham, NY	1985
Philondndron	1,114 ft.	F. Francis, University of Massachusetts	1984
Pineapple	17 lbs. 12 0z.	E. Kamuk, Ais Village, WBNP, Papua New Guinea	1994
Potato	7 lb. 13 oz.	K. Sloane, Patrick, Isle of Man	1994
Pumpkin	990 lbs.	H. Bax, Lyon, Ontario, Canada	1994
Radish	37 lbs. 15 oz.	Litterini family, Tanunda, South Australia	1992
Rhubarb	5 lbs. 14 oz.	E. Stone, East Woodyates, England	1985
Runner bean	39 1/2 in.	J. Taylor, Shifnal, England	1986
Rutabaga	62 lbs. 3 oz.	N. Craven, Stouffville, Ontario, Canada	1993
Squash	900 lbs. 12 oz.	J. & C., Lyons, Baltimore, Canada	1994
Strawberry	8.17 oz.	G. Anderson, Folkestone, England	1983
Sunflower	25 ft. 5 1/2 in.	M. Heimjs, Oirschot, Netherlands	1986
Tomato	7 lbs. 12 oz.	G. Graham, Edmond, OK.	1986
Tomato plant	53 ft. 6 in.	G. Graham, Edmond, OK.	1985
Watermelon	262 lbs.	B. Carson, Arrington, TN.	1990
Zucchini	64 lbs. 8 oz.	B. Lavery, Llanharry, Wales	1990

(Guiness Book of Records, 1997)
* disclaimer: Some of the images were collected while surfing the I'net. Incase they belong to you and if you want credit or want them removed please email me*

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Copyright © Pinkie D'Cruz 1998
Wednesday, October 07, 1998

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