Hello,
I purchased a Bat flower plant and have lovingly looked after it for almost a year now in anticipation of the wonderful which has just arrived.
My confusion is the plant was purchased as the Tacca Chantrierii but my flowers dont look the same as the ones I have seen.
Can someone clear up if I have a different kind of Tacca.
Thanks
Katrina
I'm no Tacca expert (I'm STILL waiting for the seeds I planted in September to germinate!) But the general flower shape looks correct as the white ones have big "bat ears" at the top of the flower head. How long has the flower been open as it looks very young. I suspect the colour may deepen and the flower become more typical in appearance as the inflorescence ages and the individual flowers open up. Please post some more pictures as the flower progresses.
Ciao, Kaelkitty.
Thanks for the reply Kaelkitty,
Its only been open a day so maybe it does darken as it matures. Its supposed to be the black one.
I will post more pics as it matures.
Thanks again
Hey Katrina
How's your bat flower shaping up? I saw mention of them in another forum and was curious, and looked at them in PlantFiles, and they are the most awesome plants! (i just get blown away by the beauty and diversity of the plant kingdom) I look forward to seeing pictures of the mature flower.
cheers
Kerri
Here is a pic of my white flowering batflower.
oh, i want some! Are seeds easy enough to get hold of? Like, would bunnings or the local nursery have them? They seem wonderfully exotic.
My black one is flowering now, I will wait and try and collect seeds for you.
:D Thankyou!
Hullo to you all and a happy easter. I was just browsing around and spotted your pictures of Bat flowers. They have always intrigued me
when seen in glossy garden books, I never really thought about growing them they were just an I wish flower. Your photos are so
real and beautiful, there must be someone over here that has them for sale. Can you tell me what conditions they like please and
anything else you think may be of interest.
Thankyou. Lesley.
Hi Lesley,
Lots of shade, humidity and they love to be watered.That is the basic requirements.
Cheers A.
Thanks annette, I think I can meet those requirements without too much trouble at all. Now all I have to do is find some plants. I feel quite excited about it. That will just make me more determined in my quest. Will keep you posted.
Lesley.
Where there is a will there is a way, Good luck on your Quest and Have a Happy Easter:)
Annette
Hi all,
I just scored some seeds of the bat flower on ebay, am waiting for the delivery now, can't wait, don't they look awsome.
they are awesome,Happy germinating;)
A.
Be prepared to wait.
I planted Bat Flower seed and it took six months to germinate.
ouch that is a long time:0)))
No luck yet, still looking.
Hi Lesley, they are not very cold hardy, so a warm spot is needed. they are also prone to fungal attack of the leaves and as far as I know, the White one doesn't set seed very easily. The black one is apparently the easier one to grow. My Mum bought me a plant (white one) for $30 on the internet, and from the day I bought it, it died, as it already had fungus spots on the leaves! I contacted the supplier, and (for a fee) they sent me a fungicide, but it didn't work!
No matter, because on my Brom wanderings, I met a nice man who had the black ones self seeding all through his brom pots, so he dug out about 3-4 which I have potted, and they have made it through the winter, so thats a good start!
Nice to see all these Aussies coming out of the woodwork! Drop in to the threads whenever you like, people!
The bat plant thrives here, I just ignore it and it is flowering all over the place, I will go and google what the seeds look like to collect some for you Awchid
Thats a lovely thought Annette but they wouldn't get into the country.mores the pity. Import restrictions here are very strict and I couldn't affprd the fine.. I'll just have to keep looking, boohoo.
Lesley.
After reading this, I too would love to try growing these amazing plants. As I'm at the edge of the Dandenongs in Victoria, am I being a bit ambitious and optomistic???
Margaret
P.S. I DO have a plastic hothouse........
I had a plastic hot house and they passed away peacefully in it! I'm only at the lower end of the temperature tolerance, so......you can try, but I don't like your chances!
