Amorphophallus titanum

Amorphophallus titanum has a larger than life reputation because of its enormous floral show…the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom, ranging from 3′ to 12′ tall. The inflorescence, which is often called a “flower”, remains open for only 24-48 hours with a legendary fragrance, reminiscent of rotting flesh, for the first 6-12 hours. The tuber must grow quite large to have enough energy to flower, which is why flowerings are so rare. The giant red vase, the spathe, with an equally large central spadix, is truly one of the most fragrant wonders of the horticultural world. The giant leaf atop a mottled stalk that can grow to 15′ appears after the flower. The corpse flower seed stalk, which reaches to 6′ tall and holds large red berries, is equally unbelievable.

Native to the understory of the Sumatran rainforest, where it is considered a highly vulnerable species, Amorphophallus titanum has been in cultivation since at least 1889 when a specimen flowered at the UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Since then, fewer than 1,000 Titan Arums have flowered in cultivation worldwide. Brought together by a strong desire to make Amorphophallus titanum more widely available, several of us contributed to fund Dr. James Symon’s numerous early 1990s expeditions to gather Amorphophallus titanum seed. Without this joint effort, only a small fraction of the Titan arums that have flowered today would have been available.

The inflorescence typically lasts 24-72 hours, so when one flowers nearby, don’t delay a trip to see it in person. Otherwise, Titan arums are predictably unpredictable. Tuber size is surprisingly not directly related to inflorescence height as you can see from the chart below. Some Amorphophallus titanum can flower for three consecutive years, while others may experience 7-10 years between flowerings. Many of the specimens that set seed died after birth, but not all.

Amorphophallus titanum is renowned for its un-appealing (to humans) fragrance, which is used by the plant to attract pollinators, who otherwise might be frightened away. The smell has been described in many ways, but most often is equated to rotting meat or dirty gym socks. According to our friends at the Chicago Botanic Garden, a chemical analysis of the fragrance determined the chemical breakdown to be:

*dimethyl trisulfide (like limburger cheese)
*dimethyl disulfide, trimethylamine (rotting fish)
*isovaleric acid (sweaty socks)
*benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent)
*phenol (like Chloraseptic)
*indole (like mothballs)
 
When the pollen is ready, the male floral parts exhibit thermogenensis, (internal heating), caused by elevated mitochondrial respiration. This helps in the volatilization and dispersal of the chemicals, resulting in an influx of potential pollinators. The UK’s Eden Project made this brilliantly satirical video about the fragrance of Amorphophallus titanum.

Juniper Level Botanic Garden is a research and conservation botanic garden, supported currently by Plant Delights mail order nursery. Since 1997, we have made over 1000 of these plants available worldwide through our mail order division. To ensure that the garden and its work of ex-situ conservation, evaluation, and distribution remains viable, our endowment is set up through the NC Agricultural Foundation at NC State University. Learn more about supporting JLBG.