Amorphophallus Titanum – A Large and Unsual Shape Flowering Plant
Tauheed Ahmad Nawaz
The Amorphophallus titanum plant has been known for its large size and unusual shape. It is also called the corpse flower because of its appearance after blooming. The plant grows up to 10 feet tall and has a bulbous base. Its flowers have five petals and grow from the center of the plant. When the plant blooms, it releases a smell similar to rotting flesh. The plant can be found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Its blooming process can take up to 10 years, and the bloom only lasts 24-36 hours. The corpse flower is one of the rarest and largest flowers in the world, not to mention one of the only flowers that emits the smell of rotting flesh.
The flower, named “Rosie,” is in bloom and produces small reddish fruit that will take six months to ripen. Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the titan arum, is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The titan arum’s inflorescence is not as large as that of the talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera, but the inflorescence of the talipot palm is branched rather than unbranched.
The scent is a deception device that tricks pollinators into thinking the plant is rotting organic matter. When it blooms, it emits a repulsive odor of rotting flesh, but it is amusing to some insects. The smell attracts beetles and flies that the plant needs for pollination. Once the fruit ripens, Tucson Botanical Gardens will take the seeds out and sow them to try to grow some smaller Amorphophallus titanums or share seeds with other botanical gardens.
The corpse flower named “Rosie” is located at the Cox Butterfly and Orchid Pavilion exhibit. Amorphophallus titanium, which translates as “giant misshapen penis,” holds the record for the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence (flowering structure). This mesmerizing species is a tropical rainforest plant that can grow in a container. The retail-size plants that we sell are 1-2 year-old seedlings that will grow to about 24 inches tall in there first year.
So you should start with a 6″ or 8″ container. As the tuber gets larger, you should pot it up (be careful not to bruise or nick the tuber during transplanting, or else it could rot). Although the flower is naturally found only in Indonesia, since 1889 it has been successfully cultivated in botanical gardens around the world, including Kew Gardens in London and the University of Washington in Seattle.
Amorphophallus titanum: A Large and unusual-shaped flowering Plant
