August 19, 2021
This unusual and rare plant is native to the island of Sumatra, and this particular plant is currently flowering in Vancouver’s Bloedel Conservatory! Its scientific name is Amorphophallus titanum, although it goes by a variety of common names, including the corpse flower, titan arum, and carrion flower. These less than flattering names allude to the extreme stench produced by this plant when it is in flower.
Uncle Fester before the spathe unfurls (2021)
But why does is smell so bad? The titan arum smells of rotting flesh to attract pollinators like flesh flies and carrion eating beetles. This smell, coupled with the dark red color of the plant, help trick the pollinators into thinking the plant is a dead animal. This encourages them to land and pollinate the plant. To help ensure the smell is as strong as possible, the plant also heats up to an incredible 90’F (32’C) which helps the stinky molecules produced by the flowers turn into vapor and spread up to an amazing 4,000 square meters from the plant! As well as spreading the smell far and wide, the heat of the plant seems to help trick the pollinators into thinking this plant is indeed a rotting carcass as well. Gross!
Uncle Fester during flowering (2021)
Other than its pungent smell this plant is special because it has the world’s largest ‘unbranched inflorescence’. What does that mean? Well, the lovely frilly maroon part of this plant that looks like a giant petal is actually a modified leaf called a ‘spathe’ which can reach up to 3 meters across. And the pointy yellow part in the middle is the ‘spadix’, a column that supports the tiny male and female flowers tucked down deep in the plant, protected by the spathe. This flowering spike is called an ‘inflorescence’, and it can reach up to 10 feet tall.
The titan arum is exceptionally rare. It was officially listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species back in 1997. The habitat where these plants grow in Sumatra is under threat from deforestation. The plant is amazingly adapted to its environment. In the dense jungle, the strong scent of this plant is able to spread, attracting pollinators from far and wide, and the enormous size of the spadix/inflorescence helps to further telegraph that the plant is flowering and ready to be pollinated. The heat it produces, using energy stored in the underground tuber (called a corm) helps to spread the scent of rotting flesh even further in the dense jungle, an excellent adaptive strategy for a stationary plant!
Uncle Fester dying back after flowering (2018)
These giant plants grow incredibly slowly; it takes up to 10 years to flower! In addition, the spathe only remains open for a short period of time (sometimes only 12 hours!) so there is limited time for the flowers to be pollinated, which means they are not exactly prolific reproducers. Their limited window for pollination and slow life cycle makes it challenging for this rare plant to recover their range following disruption to their habitat.
The titan arum is very rare, and there are only a small number of places around the world that have these plants as part of their botanical collections (Bloedel Conservatory being one of them). So seeing one, particularly in flower is a special, if stinky, experience!
To learn more about the titan arum (lovingly known as ‘Uncle Fester’) at the Bloedel Conservatory you can click here.
Bonus fact: Amorphophallus titanum belongs in the Araceae family, which means they are genetically related to some plants with which you might be more familiar. Common houseplants like pothos, antherium and the peace lily also belong in the Araceae family, as do calla lilies, and ‘skunk cabbage’ to name a few.
