Plant of extremes starts its display

Amorphophallus titanum. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Amorphophallus titanum. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Amorphophallus titanum has the honour of producing the largest flower-like structure in the plant world.

In fact, everything seems to be big and impressive about this plant.

In late 2008 Dunedin Botanic Garden received a small corm (a swollen, bulb-like underground stem in which food is stored for the plant).

At that stage, the corm was about the size of a small tulip bulb and would have weighed no more than 100gm.

When it was last repotted in mid-August 2013 the corm weighed approximately 7kg.

By the time it fully matures and reaches flowering size the corm could weigh up to 75kg.

Flowering is still some time away but the large solitary leaf provides an impressive talking point, at the size of a small tree.

Even larger leaves will grow as the corm continues to mature over the next few years. Leaves can reach a total height of up to 4m.

Once the giant flower is produced, it could well reach 3m from its starting point at ground level.

The nauseating smell of rotting flesh, emitted from the open flower to attract flies for pollination, is so strong it has even caused people to faint.

In its native Sumatra, in western Indonesia, the stench has inspired the common name of ''the corpse plant''.

This plant is now quite vulnerable as deforestation has greatly reduced its natural habitat.

Amorphophallus titanum is growing in the central winter garden glasshouse in the lower botanic garden.
Recently an example was publicised flowering at Auckland Domain glasshouses.

Stephen Bishop is curator of the winter garden glasshouse at Dunedin Botanic Garden.

 

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