Titan Arum Livestream
The APSU greenhouse currently houses two titan arum plants. One of them is growing rapidly now, having resprouted from a 50 lb. underground corm. In the near future we will find out if it is developing into a leaf or a “flower”!
Titan Arum Flower
The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower) is a tall plant that takes 8-10 years to produce its first 6-8 foot stinky flower. The flower smells like rotting flesh and thus attracts flesh flies and carrion beetles, which accidentally pollinate it in its native rainforest habitat in Sumatra, Indonesia. The flower lasts only a day or two, and then the plant won’t bloom again for another 2-10 years. Most of the rest of its life cycle is spent as a huge leaf that looks like a small tree. APSU has two titan arum plants, and the bigger one is about 7-8 years old as of 2022. See this Chicago Botanical Garden link for a diagram of the plant’s life cycle and for other information: Click here
Sprouting Progress, Spring 2022:
