Nephthytis afzelii

Schott 1857

This species is native to the equatorial western Africa.

2004

Each fruit contains only one seed. The biggest one was 2.2 cm long.	The first leaf germinated after 3 months.
10 months after the sowing, the plants looked so.	The only leaf that was produced in 2006.

2007

It had no more than one leaf, when the old one withered, a new one emerged. This was the third year of cultivation, photos taken in July 2007.
In spring of 2008 I repotted it. It is closely related to Anchomanes, though it is rhizomatous not tuberous, the roots are very thick.
It grew very slowly, the next leaf appeared in summer.	In winter of 2008 it fell into dormancy.
Five years and the fifth leaf. It grew in summer of 2009.	The leaves are long lasting, this was the same leaf in January 2010.

2010

When I made my florarium, and I put the plant there, it began to grow much faster, not losing leaves.
At the end of the year it had already 5 leaves, every new leaf was larger than the previous one.	The leaves emerge from shortly lasting cataphylls.

2011

The last leaf blade in 2011 was 22 cm long, 21 cm wide. The plant returned onto the window sill. The plant grew healthy losing no more leaves.

2012

Blooming time. The first inflorescence appeared in August 2012.
At the end of the year the second inflorescence appeared, while the first one began to set a fruit.

2013

The third inflorescence appeared in January 2013 and it did not produce any fruits. Two months later the spadix became yellow and the whole construction withered.
The second inflorescence was producing 3 fruits.
Ripening of the first fruit took a year. After about 5 months it began to turn orange.
The infructescences in August 2013, a year after the first bloom.
The last leaf in 2013 was 69 cm tall, the blade was 31x20 cm.

Wroclaw University: Nephthytis afzelii Tropicos: Nephthytis afzelii CATE Araceae: Nephthytis afzelii