Go batty for Halloween--grow Tacca chantieri

If the ghouls and goblins parading up your street aren’t enough to put you in the Halloween spirit, grow Tacca chantieri—the Batflower. It’s guaranteed to start conversations wherever it blooms.

Like many other plants its large “flower,” a bizarre bat-like affair in near-black, is actually an inflorescence containing many small true flowers. These are surrounded by large spreading bracts of deepest purple that look like wings. Long pendulous “whiskers” hang from the assemblage and complete the look. Flowers are carried well above the leaves displaying themselves nicely as they hover two feet or so high. Good sized evergreen leaves make it a passable foliage plant even when not in bloom.

Hailing from the tropics, Tacca will do best in a greenhouse but has been grown as a houseplant. Decent humidity and warmth will suit it—and it doesn’t need full sun. Temperatures in the upper 70’s to 90 are best for rapid growth in the summer.

Repotting is best done in spring when the plant can also be divided should you want to share your bat with your friends (quite a treat—for the trick, just don’t tell them what the flowers are like: surprise!). Your potting mix should be free-draining with some organic matter, and watering should be generous during the growing season. Dilute balanced fertilizer throughout the growth period will encourage your plant to do its bat-thing.

Bigger plants make better displays so gradually move pot-size up until you achieve the look you’re going for—that’s when you’ll start dividing the plant to make more (and keep the mother plant small enough for your ultimate pot size; usually 8” or better).

Keep Tacca barely moist during the winter. This means cut back hard on the watering. Fertilizing can be halted until spring growth commences. Keep your plant on the cool side (low sixties) during this period.

Tomorrow is All Saint’s Day. If you really get into Tacca, you could grow the white-flowered form and complete the theme.

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