The titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, “without form, misshapen” + phallos, “penis”, and titan, “giant”) is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The largest single flower is borne by the Rafflesia arnoldii; the largest branched inflorescence in the plant kingdom belongs to the Talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera). It was originally discovered by an Italian botanist, Odoardo Beccari, in Sumatra in 1878. Though found in many botanic gardens around the world it is still only indigenous to the tropical forests of Sumatra. Due to its fragrance, which is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing mammal, the titan arum is also known as a carrion flower, the “Corpse flower“, or “Corpse plant” (in Indonesian, “bunga bangkai” – bunga means flower, while bangkai means corpse or cadaver; for the same reason, the same title is also attributed to Rafflesia which, like the titan arum, also grows in the rainforests of Sumatra).
After a tasty lunch, Moustapha and I had a rare opportunity to see one of these giants of the stink at the UCONN greenhouses, it was reported that it was far more disgusting smelling the day prior, but man…the scent of rotten flesh was in the air.
Titan Arum–the Corpse Flower
