Rotting Tubers

[Ellen Hornig]

Oh, indeed, arisaemas definitely slough off a mass of tissue at the base -
whether it constitutes the entire old tuber, or just some sort of basal
plate, I'd be curious to know.  I've emptied out zillions of potted
arisaemas this year. I think the stuff is less in evidence if the tuber is
long-dormant - presumably it decomposes fast - but if you harvest them
when they're just going dormant, or not quite there, you'll definitely
encounter it.  So what is it?

Ellen