Amorphophallus titanum aka the Titan Arum or the "Corpse Flower" is one of the largest, rarest, and smelliest flowers in the world.
The rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant.
This plant produces one of the largest flowers on record. It is parasitic on members of the genus Tetrastigma (in the grape family, Vitaceae). The process involves the transfer of pollen from the male parts to the female parts of the same or another plant. It has no roots or leaves and most of the time lives unobserved inside the woody stems and roots of its host. For some plants, this movement of pollen requires the action of another organism, a pollinator. Even though its flower is only a few feet tall, the smell is so solidly rank that it will grind your eyes deep into your skull and send your teeth in after them. It can grow to a height of 7-10 feet and when it flowers it can have a diameter of 5-6 ft PLUS (and this is how it gets its name) when blooming it smells of rotting flesh! It doesn't adhere to a set blooming schedule -- years or even decades can pass between flowerings. Pollination is one of the most fascinating processes in the natural world. When the insects crawl into the flower… For more information visit the activities section). The two photographs to the right are of Amorphophallus rivieri, a mere dwarf cousin of the corpse flower. Pollination is how flowering plants reproduce. The fleshy central spike, called a spadix, bears small flowers in rings around its base. Now back to the giant corpse flower. The smell attracts dung beetles and flies that feed on carrion. The corpse flower or titan arum is, by some measures, the biggest flower on Earth.
This is especially since it emits a corpse-like odour (hence the nickname "corpse flower") that wards off … Corpse flower or titan-arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is native to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The "corpse flower" is part of the genus "Amorphophallus," but Maupin isn't sure about the specific origin of the nursery's specimen. Its enormous flower spike is the largest unbranched inflorescence (flower structure) in the Plant Kingdom. The flower in question, commonly known as the corpse flower, belongs to the genus Rafflesia. This southeast Asian plant has the largest known individual flower in the world.
It does not have any predators (although humans can be considered predators to some extent. The spadix can grow up to 12 feet tall.
When it opens, the smell is said to be horrific, mimicking the odor of dead, rotting flesh.
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