Gardening Questions: Walking flowers

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flowerfantasy Washington, IN (Zone 6a) November 18, 2008 6:57 PM	Could someone tell me what is meant by this? Walking iris ? I have seen several other plants that have been listed this way and I want to kbow what it means
ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) November 18, 2008 10:41 PM	They are called that because they form little baby plants on the end of the stalk where the flower was, and eventually the weight of the baby pulls the stalk down to the ground and the baby takes root there a little way away from the parent. That explains the walking part, and the iris part is because the flowers have some resemblance to an iris. Here are the ones in Plant Files if you want to see some pics. [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
Twincol Fresno, CA November 19, 2008 5:31 AM	Hmmm, ecrane3, would a spider plant be a "walker?" ie. is the "plantlet" at the end of the "plantlet leg" (huh?!) a flower, thus qualifying as a flower weighing down the stalk and taking root a bit away from the plant? Or is the spider plant's plantlet an "already baby?" I would never have imagined, having had spider plants as indoor plants for so many years, that a single indoor spider plant transplanted outdoors one summer could take up so much space in my patio flowerbed with numerous winters since then. This little bit of bed is across 2 1/2 feet of concrete pavers, about 5 feet away from the original plant "around the corner." It was originally covered in the ajuga you see amongst the adolescents, which are firmly rooted in the soil. I watched it happen with pleasure and treasure the outcome. Talk about walking! View Larger
dp72 Woodway, TX (Zone 8a) November 19, 2008 6:16 AM	What we call umbrella plant, a type of sedge, which is a bog plant, does this too.
ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) November 19, 2008 10:52 AM	Yes, the spider plant does behave similar to the walking iris. In both cases though it's a plantlet not a flower that is weighing down the stem--in the case of the walking iris the baby forms where the flower used to be, with the spider plant I'm not sure if the babies form where the flowers were or not.
flowerfantasy Washington, IN (Zone 6a) November 19, 2008 8:04 PM	Well I am glad to know this. It was literally bugging me. I kept running acroos it and I just couldn't figure it out. Thanks all !
kwanjin West Valley City, UT (Zone 5a) November 19, 2008 8:54 PM	On the spider plant, yes, the plantlet grows where the flower was and "walks".
Twincol Fresno, CA November 20, 2008 12:23 AM	Oh, kwanjin, of course . . . now I remember! There are flowers there before the plantlets arrive, thus qualifying as "walkers." Such a sweet piece of "plantology." Thanks you'se guys! You are all so cool!
Twincol Fresno, CA November 20, 2008 12:37 AM	Ecrane, as I recall the spider plant's life, over time, it seems to me that the flower, as it wanes, is gently replaced with small-but-quickly-developing plantlet and begins during that time, to reach out toward ground. So, you're right. And, dp72, I went out and looked up sedge and umbrella plant. They tend to look similar to the the spider in growth pattern. So, OK, I got it. What fun information, huh?

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