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roseyd_gw

Valentine Aglaonema - is this a flower?

roseyd
10 years ago

I had bought this about 2 months ago, and it sits in my indirectly lit NW window (office).

I noticed a few weeks ago that this thing was growing out of the middle - and, thought it was a new leaf - but today noticed it's a lot bigger.

Is it a flower? I wasn't expecting that these plants flowered so if it is; it's a very happy surprise.

So, really, what is it?

Comments (31)

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    Yes!

    Congratulations! :)

  • odyssey3
    10 years ago

    Congratulations! Aglaonemas get a white spathe flower, like a peace lily.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    Yes! Very cool!

  • roseyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I actually like that it's green.

    but, I look forward to seeing it mature more and open.

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Do they flower often, I have never heard of them flowering before

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    10 years ago

    I googled this plant, wanting to see more.....it's so pretty. Many of the images showed flowers, so it's apparently not unusual. Enjoy!

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    sounds wonderful, I will do the same

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Here is a photo of a floer i found. Indeed a Aroid family member along with the peace lilies and philos

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Here is another pic of a peacelily comparison

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Rosey...Congrats...

    Your Valentine is quite pink..One of my favorite Aglaos.

    You should see green berries...berries turn red when ripe.

  • roseyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    thanks, :)

    yes, I don't know why I seem to be collecting pink plants at the office, between this aglaonema and a tricolor dracaena...

    I was attempting to find indirect light plants, and these were small and cute and marked "indirect"... just the right size for the window and they don't look like they'll need repotting for a while.

    I'll post photos of the flower when it opens. :)

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    "I don't know why I seem to be collecting pink plants..."

    Because you have great taste!

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    hopefulauthor, here is a pic of the berries i found

    "I don't know why I seem to be collecting pink plants..."
    You have exellent taste!!!

    Here is a link of the Pink post on gardenweb

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pink!

    This post was edited by teengardener1888 on Wed, Apr 24, 13 at 10:59

  • roseyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So I finally noticed the blossom, yesterday.

    A bit understated, no fragrance - but still pretty.

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!

    Please keep the camera handy while visiting that plant...You will be pleased with the results if you document this process throughout it's maturation(and so will we!!).

    I promise! :)

  • roseyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So, it's about a week later - and what had been white, inside - has now turned brown. (are those becoming seeds?)

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Im not shure. I think the flower can be dying. Some hybrid houseplants were not bred to flower

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    Ok...
    The part you see withering is the male flowers ending their part in this. pollen has been and gone I'm guessing. Now the question is whether or not any of that pollen got into the female flowers which are further down in there. This would have required a pollinator to achieve. Also it would probably require additional ags around to become fertilized because the male and female flowers are blooming at different times on a single plant but if there was another handy and nearby,the pollinator(a little scarab type beetle)can pick up pollen from one plant and deliver it to another who's female flowers are ready. :)

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    Better yet...

    Here is a link that might be useful: read this :)

  • stewartsjon
    10 years ago

    I was trained to remove flowers from Aglos as they don't amount to much and "sap the strength" of the plant, but this could be an old wives tale.

    They certainly don't amount to much, but once an Aglo starts flowering it really goes for it.

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    I just wonder how common it is to actually get fruit/seeds from them. The ones I saw at the library had fruit(which i took some of and have seedlings from now)and after reading the link I posted above it just makes me wonder how it came to be! Even so,I'm not TERRIBLY worried about it...I got the seeds,right?...That COULD be the end of my interest right there but....I can't help being curious anyway! :)

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    Whenever I hear that advice about any plant, I completely disregard it. The plant is just doing what it's made to do, and I think this kind of ridiculous suggestion gets started and perpetuated by bitter old biddies who have plants that won't bloom. If the plant has the strength and other cultural conditions are conducive to making a flower, it's the ultimate indicator that it's happy and I'm doing a good job by it. No way I'm messing up the plants' greatest achievement (and mine, regarding that particular plant.)

    There may also be some confusion in the past with true annuals that die after setting seed.

    Supposedly this Stapelia flower is going to smell so bad, I'll want to remove it. We'll see. It's outside... Some plants that might be exceptions are those with offensive flowers, but everyone wants to leave the first one alone to see for themselves, don't they?

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    Pollinated by flies so naturally it will smell like ....roadkill.

    Ugh.

    Good luck with THAT one,Purp! LOL

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    i want a stapelia!!!!! where did you find that

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    Asleep, that's what I've read. Fascinating. I can't wait to see how bad it is. Pretty sure this is one of the plants called carrion flower as a common name. Good thing I had the Gynura flowers first to work up to this. Ha!

    TG, at WM, strangely enough. I had no idea what it was but liked that it looked like a cactus but without prickers. It had buds on it when I got it (early Feb. I think) but they fell off. I guess it likes being in all of the sun on the front steps, judging by the new buds on there now. The buds remind me of Platycodon (balloon flower.) That's a great Z5 perennial, do you have any of those in your garden?


  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Purple.............

    I cant have perrenials because we move too often. I have been to walmart repeatedly and have found some choice echeverias. Must keep eye out for stapelia

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    Gynura blooms are funky,eh? pretty sure I've never grown 'em(really just a foliage kinda guy at heart). .Another bloom that's nasty smelling is amorphophallus which as you likely know is related to aglaonemas(aroids dontchaknow). From what I hear the whiff off of that guy will knock a buzzard off a manure cart,but what do I know? ...Never smelled one before. :)

  • elkay_gw
    10 years ago

    I have one, also! :)

    {{gwi:83626}}

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Everyone has one but me. I know threr are more out there. Come out!!!

  • roseyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I finally got my replacement growlight bulb at home, and was able to spread out some of my plants again, last night. - I may be keeping an eye open for a stapelia, too. It's a pretty plant, and who says that fragrant has to smell 'good'? Purple, I hope you will post that beauty on the fragrant forum when it opens. I'm sure the flower will be a stunner. :)

  • PRO
    The Ficus Wrangler
    10 years ago

    Hey Purple -
    I've had stapelia, and yes they do smell like rotting meat, but only if you stick your nose into them. I had one by my front door for several years, and while the flowers were huge and spectacular, the smell was no problem. Don't know what they'd be like indoors, though. They'd need an awful lot of light to flower inside.

    As for ag flowers, professional plant techs ARE taught to remove the flowers, because the purpose of the plant is to make large, decorative foliage, and we do know that blooming takes a certain amount of energy from the plant. Besides, unlike spath flowers, ag flowers are not usually very attractive.

    But often, when a plant is on or near someone's desk, I always thought it best to leave the flowers because people would get such a kick from them. And if they actually produced berries, which happens occasionally, you would have thought the person had won the lottery.

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