The Garden Community for Garden Lovers

You can visit our Tacca page or browse the pictures using the next and previous links.

Bat Flower

meanie

By Meanie


Bat Flower (Tacca chantrieri (Bat Flower))

Thinking about entering this in the local flower show - should be at its best in a couple of weeks!



Comments on this photo

 

Oh wow! Two weeks? How much better can it get?

11 Aug, 2011

 

Well, it could have had three flower stems!!!

12 Aug, 2011

 

It's like a box of surprises!

12 Aug, 2011

 

Wow!! Aptly named! Just amazing! Where is it native to, Meanie?

12 Aug, 2011

 

Just read further, China! Don't know how I didn't see these before...fantastic!!

12 Aug, 2011

 

Thanks Karen!
It's native to the tropical rainforests of China.

12 Aug, 2011

 

Well done! :))))

12 Aug, 2011

 

This one, a lady elf has dropped her 'fascinator'!!!
Put the cup & saucer vine flower up for you Meanie.

12 Aug, 2011

 

It will be a winner Meanie.....

12 Aug, 2011

 

It should be Milky, It's a stunner.

12 Aug, 2011

 

Meanie:

Absolutely superb photo!

13 Aug, 2011

 

Thanks guys!
I'm not sure that there is even a category for it, but it would make an interesting change from the usual exhibits!

13 Aug, 2011

 

Country file currently has a photo competition with plant life being one category??

13 Aug, 2011

 

I was thinking of putting my third Scadoxus in, but it's coming up too soon.........

13 Aug, 2011

 

Sadly I have a feeling deadline may have been Friday (that's gone)?

14 Aug, 2011

 

Will take a look..........

14 Aug, 2011

 

Hi Meanie...I just saw one of these, in the flesh, at the market this morning...Two flower heads...magnifique!!
...Labelled as an orchid from China, aka 'fleur chauve souris' (bat flower)

...€30...snapped up very quickly (sadly, not by me)!!!

15 Aug, 2011

 

dont think we would get them in a market here karen!!??

has it changed any more meanie?

15 Aug, 2011

 

It was just an ordinary plant stall, Stickitoffee, but sometimes they have exotics for taking indoors in the winter...

15 Aug, 2011

 

wow! dont think we have exotics on market stalls here ~ probably too cold!!

15 Aug, 2011

 

lol!...It was much bigger than I expected it to be...
and at €30 each, I was just thinking that Meanie could be on to a winner in more ways than one! ;)

15 Aug, 2011

 

We get Cymbidium orchids occasionally around here......
That's cheap - around here they go for £30 to £50 with just one stem on the rare occasion that they're available. Of course, you can do what I did and snap them up half price once the bloom is over!
They are large aren't they!
I'll post a photo up later - both stems are blooming now!

15 Aug, 2011

 

The one I saw was just short of a metre high and the flower heads, in their entirety (from the batwings onward/outward, if you know what I mean) were about the size of a dinner plate...

I wish I could have bought it, but...unfortunately, I'm going away soon...

Look forward to further pictures of yours, though! :)))

15 Aug, 2011

 

Much the same size as mine then - how wide was the plant Karen?

15 Aug, 2011

 

dinner plate size is incredible ~ you should be so chuffed meanie!

15 Aug, 2011

 

I am (as you may have guessed from the number of photos)!

15 Aug, 2011

 

you deserve to be! its not every day you see one of these exactly!!!

15 Aug, 2011

 

You can (see one everyday) around here!

16 Aug, 2011

 

I'm not sure how wide the one I saw was, Meanie...it was surrounded by other plants and I was too busy looking at the size of the flowers and the long leaves! But I saw it being taken home, sticking out the top of a cardboard box, which was around 40x40x70cms or so...

16 Aug, 2011

 

thats because this is an exceptional web site meanie! with of course exceptional plants.

16 Aug, 2011

 

Exceptional photography too! This plant is hypnotic..and still scares the s**t out of me!!! I'd have nightmares if it was in my greenhouse.
However, philistine that I am, I still wish you first prize Meanie not cos "You're My Favourite", but for your dedication and courage in growing it lol!

16 Aug, 2011

 

I must confess that I share your apprehensions to some extent, Tetrarch...I find some orchids a little bit 'unearthly'...still, you can't help being fascinated and marvelling at their beauty...

This one, unearthly - yes! Scary? Strangely, no - just amazing!

...and I second your good wishes to Meanie! :)

16 Aug, 2011

 

Its so..so alien Karen..and if there was one film that scared the pants off me..it was Alien!! And (dont everyone hate me here)..Im not a lover of black or near black plants

16 Aug, 2011

 

Me too, Tetrarch...but when you see this one...Well, I thought, 'So that's how chocolate cosmos got here!... From the planet 'Sirius', lol!!!
No offence, Meanie...am just on the Batflower's side! :)

16 Aug, 2011

 

Thanks Tet and Karen - I hope that it's still good on the bank holiday Monday.............

I'm scared of hypodermic syringes, really scared!

16 Aug, 2011

 

I hope so too, Meanie...just try to avoid all and any needles and have a good day!! :))

16 Aug, 2011

 

You wont be able to give it a syringe of blood to boost it then Meanie!!!

16 Aug, 2011

 

We'll see Karen........

I break out in a cold sweat and then the panic attack rushes in, so no I couldn't!!

16 Aug, 2011

amy
Amy
 

Wow ! what an amazing plant Meanie good luck at the show ,I'm sure it will be a winner ......

17 Aug, 2011

 

I'm not even sure that there's a category yet Amy.

18 Aug, 2011

 

I have decided to try growing one ( as many as I can ) of these. inspiring photo's Meanie.

25 Aug, 2011

 

And Bank Holiday Monday approaches...

Best of Luck, Meanie...xxx

25 Aug, 2011

 

Ah...just looked at that comment, as it went out...lack of emotion...would like to add...'Go for it!!!...you'll do well!' !!!

25 Aug, 2011

 

Go for it Pimpernel!

The show's not going to happen now - just got back from Holland to find 10sq metres of dry stone wall collapsed!

27 Aug, 2011

 

oh no! how did that happen?
we will award you the prize then!!

any photos from holland?

27 Aug, 2011

 

Oh No!!

27 Aug, 2011

 

No photos from Holland - I just went over to visit my daughter for a couple of days. The wall just came down.....

27 Aug, 2011

 

Merde, Meanie...did it cause much damage? To other things, I mean?

27 Aug, 2011

 

never been to holland, would like to see the bulb festival one day.

was it a dry stone wall?

27 Aug, 2011

 

I'll post a photo up later Karen - it flattened everything in its path!

I didn't even get any bulbs as it was all pretty rushed. It was a dry stone wall.

27 Aug, 2011

 

Oooh...merde again...M.....

27 Aug, 2011

 

not so good then meanie, sorry to hear that.

27 Aug, 2011

 

Meanie..I have a cousin Oo arr ! in Wiltshire that I can ask to help you out.

27 Aug, 2011

 

Thanks for that - I have a local smallholder who'll do it in a couple of weeks or so. I'm clearing the mess up and dumping it in his yard so that he can sort it out and chuck the useless material during quiet moments.

28 Aug, 2011



Comment on this photo


   Photo 4 of 26

  • previous slideshow photo
  • next slideshow photo

What else?

See who else is growing Tacca chantrieri (Bat Flower).

See who else has plants in genus Tacca.

This photo is of "Bat Flower" in Meanie's garden

Members who like this photo

  • Gardening with friends since
    16 Mar, 2009

  • Gardening with friends since
    9 Aug, 2009

  • Gardening with friends since
    31 Oct, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    10 Sep, 2010

  • Gardening with friends since
    14 May, 2011

  • Gardening with friends since
    29 Mar, 2010

  • Gardening with friends since
    13 May, 2010

  • Gardening with friends since
    9 Jul, 2010

  • Gardening with friends since
    28 Jul, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    9 Sep, 2008

  • uma
    Uma

    Gardening with friends since
    28 Oct, 2009

  • amy
    Amy

    Gardening with friends since
    17 Apr, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    3 Jul, 2010

  • Gardening with friends since
    1 Oct, 2013