Welcoming our Corpse Flower
(Amorphophallus titanum)
As a symbol of strengthening partnerships with other institutions, the Garden received an incredible gesture of support
from the United States Botanical Garden: a donation of a blooming-sized Amorphophallus titanum, also known as
“Corpse Flower.” It will be planted in time for The Garden of Tomorrow opening next year.
This gift is particularly special because there are fewer than 1,000 corpse flowers left in the wild. It is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), primarily because of habitat loss from the conversion of natural forests into palm oil plantations. Palm oil is a common ingredient in many processed food and household items such as instant noodles, cookies, cosmetics, soaps and detergents, peanut butter and breakfast cereals.
This gift is more than a rare botanical treasure — it is a valuable teaching tool about the urgent lesson of conservation, challenging us to consider how our everyday lifestyle and consumer choices are intricately connected to the survival of the Earth’s most extraordinary plants. I is also a reminder that we are all deeply interconnected, our lives and choices rippling even to the far reaches of the Sumatran rainforests. So, beyond the rarity, what makes the Amorphallus titanum such a headliner when it blooms?
One of the main draws is its sheer size. It is the largest unbranched inflorescence (a flower arrangement along a single, unbranched axis) in the plant kingdom. In the wild, they can grow up to 12 feet tall, but in cultivation they typically grow about 8 feet tall. The diameter of the flower can be close to 3 feet. Additionally, bloom time can be a bit unpredictable, adding an element of elusiveness to witnessing this event. It takes approximately seven to 10 years for the corm to gather enough energy to bloom. The corm can weight more than 200 pounds once it reaches blooming size!
In addition to being one of the largest flowering plants in the world, it is also one of the smelliest. The rotten flesh smell combined with heat-producing thermogenesis to disperse the odor, is an ingenious evolutionary strategy to attract its primary pollinators —carrion beetles and flies. Once these insects are lured in, their exploring inadvertently transfers pollen, leading to successful pollination. As the Garden prepares to welcome this extraordinary plant, we invite you to witness not only its otherworldly beauty, but also the powerful story it tells—one of wonder, fragility, and our shared responsibility to protect it. The arrival of this rare gift at the Garden is more than just an event, it’s a call to curiosity, connection and conservation.
Pictured to the right is the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) in bloom at the United States Botanic Garden
