MOTHER NATURE Mother Nature September 2017 | Page 19

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Mother Nature Aug /Sep 2017
Titan Arum
The corpse flower is generally known as ‘titan arum’. It is the largest
branched main stem concern flowering plant in the world. The corpse
flower is endemic to Sumatra. During flowering, the plant stands at 8.2
feet tall. The plant also produces the smell of decomposing animal.
Corpse plant bloom only in very 40 years.
It is the smelliest and largest flower in the world. Corpse
flowers are protected by law as it is very rare.
The scientific name of the corpse flower is Amorphophallus
titanum. According to Gustavus Adolphus College, the
name is from the Latin words amorphos (without form, mis-
shapen), phallos (penis) and titanum (giant).
The corpse plant is also known as the titan arum.
According to the UC Botanical Garden, British naturist
and television producer David Attenborough first used the
name titan arum in the BBC series "The Private Lives of
Plants" because he thought viewers might be offended by
the plant's Latin name. The corpse flower is in the Aroid
subfamily of flowering plants. The plant itself grows to
around 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.6 meters). The plants typically
can grow to a massive 8 feet (2.4 m) tall and the leaves
can be as big as 13 feet (4 m) wide.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the
tallest bloom was a corpse flower that measured 10 feet
2.25 inches (3.1 m) tall. It bloomed on June 18, 2010, at
Winnipesaukee Orchids in Gilford, New Hampshire.
One of the world's largest and rarest flowering structures,
the corpse flower is a pungent plant that blooms rarely
and only for a short time. While it is in bloom, the flower
emits a strong odor similar to rotting meat or, aptly, a de-
caying corpse.
There is a good reason for the plant's strong odor. The
smell, color and even temperature of corpse flowers are
meant to attract pollinators
and help ensure the
continuation of the species.
Researchers explain that dung
beetles, flesh flies and other
carnivorous insects are the pri-
mary pollinators of this type of
flower. These insects typically
eat dead flesh. The smell and
the dark burgundy colo