Amorphophallus titanum

The sight, growth and odor of this rare botanical wonder are unbelievable. The tallest inflorescence reported was 10.75 feet and average being 6.5 feet (2 m). A mature underground corm (tuber) produces a huge aroid bloom (inflorescence) which is usually taller than a man. When it first emerges the spadix is completely enveloped in the spathe and bracts, but as it develops the growth rate of the spadix accelerates rapidly. It is ranked as the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, which is produced by the largest tuber. A single huge leaf will emerge sometime after the flower resembling a sapling tree. A mature leaf is patterned with irregular pale green blotches and at the apex divides into an umbrella of leaflets up to 49 feet in circumference

A. titanum is difficult to cultivate - not because, as was also once rumored, it eats its grower - but because it is prone to rotting, does not reliably increase in size and fails to produce seeds or offsets as easily as other species of Amorphophallus. The plants rarely set seeds because the female flowers open first and by the time the male florets are producing pollen they are no longer receptive. Each plant contains both flowers and florets. Even in the wild it is difficult because there must be an another similarly timed pollen producing inflorescence. In addition, flowering can take at any time of the year so chances are stacked against pollination. There was once a rumor that this monstrous inflorescence is pollinated by elephants. Instead pollination is believed to be performed by large carrion beetles lured by the powerful odor of decaying flesh. This overpowering stench is released in waves when the flowers are ready for pollination. Its Indonesian name bunga bangkai means corpse flower.

The giant flower Giant is expected to flower in the University Botanic Gardens Bonn at the end of May.
The Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) produces the world's largest flower and is currently in bud at the University Botanic Gardens Bonn (Germany).

The Titan Arum flowered the last time at Bonn in Juli 2000. The flower with the shape of a fountain has had a diameter of 1,5 m and reached almost 2,60 m in height. It was the third largest flower of the Titan Arum in cultivation ever. Within 3 days the plant - strongly smelling of decaying fish - attracted some 15.000 visitors to the Botanic Garden of the Poppelsdorf Castle. At this time the tuber had a weight of 36 kg. Last year it produced a giant leaf of 4 m, that withered in autumn. At the end of January the tuber was repotted and reached the
spectecular weight of 78 kg. On the 14th of March 2003 the bud became visible and broke the soil surfcae in its 1000 kg weighing container. On the 7th of May 2003 it reached the
height of 78 cm and had a circumference of 58 cm. The bud is exceptionally fast growing.
The current world record of a titan arum flower is held by the at the Botanic Garden of Wageningen in the Netherlands, where it flowered in 1932 - some 70 years ago. The height of that flower was 2,67 m and we are excited to see if this years flower will produce a new world record. The Titan Arum is one of the most spectecular plants at all. The plant naturally growns in the rainforests of Westsumatra. There were about 70 flowers in cultivation so far.
The opening of the flower will depend on the weather and it is difficult to predict the exact day during the last week of May 2003.


You can watch it by webcam!


Botanic Gardens Bonn