This grandiose beauty, called the Amorphophallus titanum, owns the title of the largest flower in the world. Blooming once every 40 years for only 4 days, it proves to be an absolutely rare and stunning sight. Worldwide, only 3-5 blooming events, from plants grown in cultivation, happen each year; amazing!
Amorphophallus titanum, the Titan arum, is also a flowering plant that has the greatest number of unbranched inflorescence in the world. Its inflorescence astounding height can reach more than 10 feet or 3 meters tall. Corypha umbraculifera, or the Talipot Palm, also has a large inflorescence, however, it is in fact branched instead of unbranched, while the Amorphophallus titanum is native to the tropical forests of Sumatra where it grows in openings in rainforests on limestone hills. But even in its native habitat, it is a rare sight.
The plant is also cultivated by botanical gardens and private collectors around the world because of its stunning appearance. Many people have said this is one of the most difficult plants to grow. However, it is not any more difficult than any other flowering plant. The difficulty comes in the consistent growing conditions for a period of seven years or more. To be successful, you must mimic its native environment of tropical Sumatra.
The pungent smell of the flower can be described to be similar to a rotting corpse. Therefore, it is also referred to as the corpse flower or corpse plant and can be categorized as a carrion flower.
Check out this cool timelapse:
