MOTHER NATURE Mother Nature September 2017 | Page 20

Mother Nature Aug /Sep 2017
19
The corpse flower is what is called an inflorescence
— a stalk with many flowers
The corpse flower is what is called an inflorescence — a
stalk with many flowers, according to the University of
California Botanical Garden. A mixture of tiny male and
female flowers grow at the base of the spadix, the central
phallus-like structure, which is surrounded by the spathe,
a pleated skirt-like covering that is bright green on the out-
side and deep maroon inside when opened. If pollinated,
the spadix grows into a large club-like head of orange-red
seeds.
Corpse flowers can take up to seven
years to bloom; some corpse
flowers only bloom once every few
decades. The plant's energy is stored in the corm – a
swollen stem base typically weighing around 100 lbs.
(45 kilograms). The corpse plant has the world's largest
known corm, sometimes weighing up to 220 lbs. (100kg).
During the non-flowering years, a single leaf, the size of a
small tree, shoots up from the corm. This leaf branches
out into three sections with each of these sprouting more
leaflets. Each year, this shooting leaf dies and a new one
grows in its place. After many years, the plant finally gath-
ers enough energy to bloom, and once it does, it can only
hold the bloom for 24 to 36 hours before it collapses.
Once the blooming begins, it occurs in two stages on con-
secutive nights: essentially a "female" stage and a "male"
stage. The female flowers form a ring at the bottom of the
spadix (inner tube structure), and the male flowers form a
ring around the spadix just above the female flowers.
During the first stage, carrion beetles drawn by the stench
of death and human-like body temperatures, creep inside the vase-like structure and unknowingly deposit pollen on
the receptive female flowers. During the second stage, the structure begins to collapse, the "fragrance" fades and the
insects begin to head out. As they leave, the beetles rub up against the pollen in the male flowers and are now ready
to carry the pollen to a nearby female flower.
Basketbal/Baseball plant
It is generally known as euphorbia obesa native to South Africa. The
plant has exactly the same shape of a baseball. It is an unbranched
plant with an average height of 20 cm. The special species of base-
ball plant is protected by national nature conservation as it is very
rare in the world.
Male and female flowers of euphorbia obesa grow on different
plants.The female has three protruding stigma on which the pollen
grains stick, whereas the male has a hairy like center covered with
yellow pollen. Once pollinated the female plant produces
fruitcontaining 3 seeds each.
Baseball plants are quite toxic, makes severe skin problems.