TITAN ARUM
The world’s largest flower

Today I visited the world’s smelliest and largest flower “Amorphophallus Titanum” or in short “Titan Arum” (in German “Titanwurz). Hundreds of visitors were flocking to the botanical garden in Munich to watch the rare blooming ot the tropical flower. Also known as “Corps Flower” because of a smell likened to rotted flesh. It grows in the wild only in the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. This plant in Munich is about 13 years old by now and it was the first time it bloomed at all. In fact the titan arum usually only blooms up to 2 days before it collapses again. Unfortunately this one only bloomed about 12 hours before it started to crease. Like you can see I already was a little late. The flower had creased already even though I arrived at noon. PD Dr. Ehrentraud Bayer – the acting head of the botanical garden – said the withering process might have happened so fast through strong insolation and high humidity because of the constant door opening through visitors. So if you want to see its incredible flower you will have to go straight to the place after you heard it in the news, otherwise you will be too late. In cultivation, the titan arum generally needs about seven to ten years of vegetative growth before it will bloom for the first time. After its initial blooming, the blooming frequency can vary. Some plants will already bloom again in two to three years, while others may not bloom again for another seven to ten years. It depends. Because of this the botancial garden was opened until 11:30 PM today.

The flower was surrounded like a pop star.

The titan arum can reach a height over 3 meters, this one only had 1,75 m though. Also its corn is the largest known so far. It typically weighs about 50kg. This one only weighed 30 when it was planted. The rotted smell attracts carrion-eating beetles and flesh flies that pollinate it. Due to the inflorescence’s deep red color and texture the insects think the flower is a piece of meat. During bloom, the top is approximately human body temperature, which helps the perfume to volatilize. Both male and female flowers grow in the same inflorescence. The female flower opens first. A day or two following, the male flower opens. This usually prevents the flower from self-pollinating.

Further impressions of the botanical garden:

Photos: Alina Spiegel

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