AMORPHOPHALLUS TITANUM FAQs

 

 

 

What makes Amorphophallus Titanum so special?

 

Amorphophallus Titanum ( Titan Arum ) also know as the Corpse Flower or Corpse Plant ( Indonesia :  Bunga Bangkai – Bunga means flower, while Bangkai can be translate as corpse, cadaver or carrion ). Amorphophallus Titanum is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. An inflorescence is a floral structure composed of many smaller individual flowers. The bloom of Amorphophallus Titanum is typically between 2-2,5 m tall ( the largest on record was just over 10 feet tall or over 3 meters ) and it emits a foul odor of rotting flesh, thus the name Corpse Flower. This plants are uncommon in cultivation and blooms are even more rare. The plant also produces the largest leaf in the world reaching 5 m high. For the same reason the title corpse flower is also attribute to the genus Rafflesia.

 

 

Why does the bloom stink?

 

 

The bloom use the scent of rooting flesh to attract pollinators, mainly flies. The first evening or day time bloom is when the female flowers are open and receptive to pollen. This is the time when the bloom smells the most so it can lure in bees which hopefully have visited another Amorphophallus Titanum bloom recently and are carrying pollen. The tall center part of the bloom, the spadix, actually heats up the first day open ( evening or day time ) to help disperse the odor far distances. The temperature of the spadix will reach about the same temperature as the human body, about 98F. Both male and female flowers grow in the same florescence. The female flower open first, then a day or two following, the male flowers open. This usually prevent the flower from self pollinating. After the flower dies back, a single leaf, which reaches the size of a small tree, grow from underground corm. The leaf grow on a somewhat green stalk that branches into three section at the top, each containing many leaf. Each year, the old leaf dies and new one grow in its place. When the corm has stored enough energy, it becomes dormant for about four months. Then, the process repeats. The corm is the largest known, typically weighing around 50kg . When specimen at the Princes of Wales Conservation, Kew Gardens, was repotted after its dormant period, the weight was recorded as 91kg . In 2006, a corm in Botanical Garden of Bonn, Germany was recorded at 117kg

 

      

 

Where does the Amorphophallus Titanum come from?

 

 

It is native to the jungle and forest of Sumatra Island in Indonesia. Already uncommon in the wild, Amorphophallus Titanum is under additional population pressure as their native habitats are rapidly being destroyed primarily due to illegal logging and land conversion for agricultural use to feed a growing population. Amorphophallus Titanum are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ).

 

 

Who discovered the Amorphophallus Titanum ( Tiatan Arum )

 

In 1878, the Italian natural scientist Odoardo Beccari discovered the Amorphophallus Titanum during his exploration of Sumatra Island. He collected seeds and sent them to Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, where he had once studied. The first bloom of this species in cultivation occurred at Kew in 1889. With over 100 cultivated blossoms since then. The first documented flowerings in the United States were at New York Botanical Garden in 1937 and 1939. This flowering inspired the designation of the Amorphophallus Titanum as the official flower of the Bronx in 1939, only to be replaced in 2000 by the day lily. The number of cultivated plants has increased in recent years, and is not uncommon for there to be five or more flowerings events in gardens around the world in a single year. The Amorphophallus Titanum is more commonly available to the advanced gardener due to pollination techniques. The popular name of Amorphophllus Titanum is “Titan Arum” was invented by the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough for his BBC series The Private Life of Plants, in which the flowering and pollination of the plant were filmed for the first time. Attenborough felt that constantly referring to the plant as Amorphophallus on popular TV documentary would be inappropriate.