Family:  Araceae
Scientific name:  Amorphophallus titanum
Common name:  Titan arum, corpse flower

Native of:  Rainforests of western Sumatra

Greenhouse location:  Room P

The Amorphophallus titanum has the largest unbranched inflorescence (cluster of flowers arranged on a single stalk or a branched stalk) in the world, reaching over 10 feet tall.

This perennial plant grows from a corm (swollen underground plant stem that serves as a food-storage structure to help plants reproduce and/or survive adverse conditions), producing a single compound leaf that looks like a small tree. The leaf can reach a height of 20 feet and a diameter of 16 feet.

A. titanum usually goes through several leaf cycles before it has stored up enough energy to bloom. It takes from 8 to 20 years for the plant to produce its first bloom. It then flowers between one or more leaf cycles approximately every 3 years if conditions are right. The bloom lasts only 24 to 36 hours.

The inflorescence of the A. titanum consists of a spike (spadix) enclosed within a sheath (spathe). Tiny male and female flowers encircle the base of the spadix.

A. titanum is known as the "corpse flower" because while in bloom, it produces the odor of rotting flesh, luring flies and carrion-eating beetles for pollination. The stunning scarlet interior and furrowed texture of its spathe are thought to aid in the carcass illusion. During the peak of blooming, the tip of the hollow spadix heats up to a maximum temperature of 100 degrees F. to help volatilize the plant's stinky perfume. According to Wikipedia, "Analyses of chemicals released by the spadix show the stench includes dimethyl trisulfide (like limburger cheese), dimethyl disulfide, trimethylamine (rotting fish), isovaleric acid (sweaty socks), benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent), phenol (like Chloraseptic), and indole (like feces)."

If you're lucky enough to experience A. titanum's bloom in person, you'll find that its stench and appearance make it breathtaking both literally and figuratively.

The late Greg Speichert, former director of the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center at IU, donated the A. titanum to IU in December 2007.