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Titan Arums

Titan arums can take up to seven years to bloom for the first time. The corpse flower starts as an underground structure called a corm. Just like a gladiolus, potato, or other geophytes, this underground structure stores energy for the plant to use in the following season. During the first year of growth, the corm will send up a spike that turns into one gigantic leaf with complex leaflets. After 12-18 months, the leaf will drop and the plant will go dormant. This cycle can happen 5-7 times before producing a flower. When the corm has enough energy stored, a spike will emerge containing the flowering structure. 

The corpse flower is often mistaken for the largest flower. However, it is actually the largest unbranched inflorescence in the Plant Kingdom with its many separate male and female flowers occurring at the base of the spadix. The female flowers open first followed by the male flowers to prevent self-pollination. The spadix and spathe will only last for 2-3 days. Once pollination is completed, the spadix and spathe will collapse to reveal the infructescence. Seeds on the infructescence will ripen six months to a year after the initial flowering. Each fruit contains 1-2 seeds that carry the genetic code for the next generation of titan arum. 

Traditionally, universities, botanical gardens and corpse flower enthusiasts playfully give their corpse flower a nickname when they are going to bloom for the first time. Here are some of the nicknames other organizations have given their corpse flowers. 

Learn More About Titan Arums, Ariodes, and other Araceae