October 05, 2012

Countdown - 26 days! the Corpse plant

Welcome to Flora Fridays!

What better member of the plant kingdom to cover first than the Corpse Plant!

(photo from the Sarasota Patch)
 
The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is actually quite pretty & unusual when it blooms. 
 
It is native to Indonesia & Sumatra and take 7 - 10 years for a seed to mature enough to bloom and then only flowers every few years.  The one pictured above just bloomed this past June and it was 2005 before that.  The bloom only lasts a day or two, before withering and collapsing under it's own weight. 
 
That center stalk, the 'inflorescence', can reach 3 meters or over 15 feet tall and the tuber can weigh 200 lbs!  So besides being huge - it is also known for it's aroma.  The bloom puts out a scent that is reminiscent of rotting meat. 
 
Yum - just what I want in my back yard! 
 

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