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Bat Flower - Tacca chantrieri

PalmatierMeg

By PalmatierMeg
in TROPICAL LOOKING PLANTS - Other Than Palms

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PalmatierMeg Grand Master

PalmatierMeg

Posted
Posted

Hello All,

A few weeks ago we went to the local flea market. A little Spanish lady there always has the most interesting plants at very decent prices. This time she had several specimens of black bat flower - Tacca chantrieri. I had seen photos but never one in the flesh. It is so weird it is cool. I bought one that had one open bloom and another on the way. I repotted it and keep it on a stand outside the front window. The flowers are both open and last a long time Today I took some photos.

If anyone has one of these, add your photos. I would love to get a white bat flower.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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PalmatierMeg Grand Master

PalmatierMeg

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Two more photos

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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PalmatierMeg Grand Master

PalmatierMeg

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I found two more photos on my computer. The second one shows what appears to be seeds. Are they?

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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_Keith Grand Master

_Keith

Posted
Posted

Meg, that is one cool looking plant. I have to get me one now.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

That IS cool!

I wonder if it will grow out here . . . .

One way to find out!

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Jeff Searle Grand Master

Jeff Searle

Posted
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Meg,

These are great plants. Just keep an eye out for snails if you decide to plant them in the ground. They love this plant.

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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fastfeat Grand Master

fastfeat

Posted
Posted
That IS cool!

I wonder if it will grow out here . . . .

One way to find out!

Dave--

Too cold in SoCal, at least in winter. Needs temps like those for Spathiphyllum or Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema). You could grow in a pot outdoors in summer, then bring indoors in winter.

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

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aussiearoids Grand Master

aussiearoids

Posted
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Lots around here .. seems to be several variants between black and white . Seedlings can be hard to mature .

They do very well planted out . A nice large one in a garden of a mate , he has since sold the property . post-354-1230956982_thumb.jpg

John Farrington posing beside a nice large White Bat plant . He is about as tall as me .. 6' easily . post-354-1230957203_thumb.jpg

Michael in palm paradise,

Tully, wet tropics in Australia, over 4 meters of rain every year.

Home of the Golden Gumboot, its over 8m high , our record annual rainfall.

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ariscott Grand Master

ariscott

Posted
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It is one of those plants that I just can't grow in pots - let alone flowering!! I think when I have more shade, I just have to buy one or two and plant them straight in the ground... Otherwise, they just DIE on me... regardless of what I do... changing potting mix, keep it moist, keep it on the dry side... I have tried almost everything and everything failed. Maybe, I am just not meant to have it....

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Jeff in St Pete Grand Master

Jeff in St Pete

Posted
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That's a nice plant Meg. I used to grow the black bat in Tampa and found it to be a pretty easy plant to grow. IMO the white bat has a more spectacular flower, but I still loved my black bat plant. I should try and order some seeds and grow them again, I've never seen them for sale anywhere here.

Formerly Jeff in Costa Rica
 

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chris78 Rising Star

chris78

Posted
Posted

That's a nice plant Meg. I used to grow the black bat in Tampa and found it to be a pretty easy plant to grow.

Jeff... how much cold did it take? Were you able to leave it out all winter?

Phoenix Area, Arizona USA

Low Desert...... Zone 9b

Jan ave 66 high and 40 low

July ave 105 high and 80 low

About 4 to 8 frost a year...ave yearly min temp about 27F

About 8 inches of rain a year.

Low Desert

Phoenix.gif

Cool Mtn climate at 7,000'

Parks.gif

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junglegalfla Veteran

junglegalfla

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I love these. I've tried both in the ground and killed them both <_< They just withered away in the winter and never came back.

Bren in South St. Pete Florida

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PalmatierMeg Grand Master

PalmatierMeg

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Aussiearoids, those bat plants in the photos are gorgeous. I would love to have one of the white ones, too. I didn't realize they got so big.

So far mine is doing great - knock wood. The lady I bought it from told me to keep it in a pot and in the shade, also keep the pot off the ground. It is cold sensitive, so it will head for the garage when temps drop below 45F. I've read it makes a good house plant.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Jeff in St Pete Grand Master

Jeff in St Pete

Posted
Posted
Jeff... how much cold did it take? Were you able to leave it out all winter?

Chris, I did have one in the ground for a couple years but I don't remember the coldest temps it took. It was during a time when we were having mild winters in Tampa. It didn't look so great after a couple years but it did spread and bloom and there were multiple plants growing in that spot. I'm not sure if it spread from roots or from seeds. I finally dug them out and planted them in pots and they did much better. I'm still not convinced it was the cold that made them look crappy in the ground. I think it had more to do with the poor soil there. The ones I grew in pots stayed outside all year and looked beautiful and bloomed for me, but I used very good soil in the pots.

Formerly Jeff in Costa Rica
 

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Kathryn Veteran

Kathryn

Posted
Posted
Meg, that is one cool looking plant. I have to get me one now.

Keith - I saw these at Leu Gardens several years ago and immediately wanted one. I looked around and the only place I could find them was at Stokes for about $50 so I passed. Let me know if you find them cheaper.

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virtualpalm Veteran

virtualpalm

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I have had a black bat (Tacca chantrieri) in the ground for many years. I have seen it at Home Depot here in Miami time and again. I have set seed on it a couple times, and I agree that the seedlings are hard to mature (I lost all of them fairly quickly after germinating). I tried to grow the white bat (Tacca integrifolia) as well but we had a dry year a couple years ago, and it just didn't get enough water (I do not have an automatic irrigation system in my yard). I do still have a third species called Tacca palmatifida, which has palmate leaves and a fairly non-descript (compared to the others) greenish-purple flower. I think there are other species as well that are not yet in cultivation.

Jody

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epicure3 Grand Master

epicure3

Posted
Posted
That IS cool!

I wonder if it will grow out here . . . .

One way to find out!

dave:

I have had one in my garden, planted out in full shade, for about 4 years. It has never flowered. Loses one leaf and grows one new leaf per year for me. I don't think it is the climate as this thing would be dead by now if it didn't like our winters or summers. I must have just put it in the wrong place.

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

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tjwalters Veteran

tjwalters

Posted
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I've wanted one for a while, but haven't seen them around here (other than seeds), and never mail-ordered one. I did try from seed once, but got nothing. Has anyone here grown these from seed? As I recall the seed was very small.

Tom

Bowie, Maryland, USA - USDA z7a
hardiestpalms.com

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SubTropicRay Grand Master

SubTropicRay

Posted
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That and the Devil's Trumpet are the spookiest of flowers.

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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virtualpalm Veteran

virtualpalm

Posted
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I have had one in my garden, planted out in full shade, for about 4 years. It has never flowered. Loses one leaf and grows one new leaf per year for me. I don't think it is the climate as this thing would be dead by now if it didn't like our winters or summers. I must have just put it in the wrong place.

Bat plants are understory plants, so they prefer shade. I would bet that if you moved it to a shaded, protected spot, it would bloom for you.

Jody

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Darold Petty Grand Master

Darold Petty

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I just received a plant catalog in the snail mail. Both the regular and alba forms of Tacca are available for $14.99 USD. The business is Van Bourgondien at http://www.dutchbulbs.com or telephone 800-622-9997.

San Francisco, California

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tjwalters Veteran

tjwalters

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I just received a plant catalog in the snail mail. Both the regular and alba forms of Tacca are available for $14.99 USD. The business is Van Bourgondien at http://www.dutchbulbs.com or telephone 800-622-9997.

Saw yesterday that Logee's has both forms, also:

http://www.logees.com/products.asp?dept=42...le&sort_by=

Tom

Bowie, Maryland, USA - USDA z7a
hardiestpalms.com

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Kathryn Veteran

Kathryn

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Van Bourgondien has a root available for $14.99 or a collection (one black and one white root) for $24.98.

Logee's has 4" pots available for $24.95.

I'm not sure how well a root will do, but I order one of each species from both companies for comparison.

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Phil Veteran

Phil

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Tacca is a cool plant. I really like them. We've had a few at our nursery over the years and they tolerated 35 degrees inside the houses with no problem. Most have flowered. Ours were not white or black, but a sort of pink color. Nice foliage as well.

Phil

Jungle Music Palms and Cycads, established 1977 and located in Encinitas, CA, 20 miles north of San Diego on the Coast.  Phone:  619 2914605 Link to Phil's Email phil.bergman@junglemusic.net Website: www.junglemusic.net Link to Jungle Music Palms and Cycads

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