The legendary ‘Corpse Flower’ or titan arum, the largest unstemmed inflorescence flower in the world, is about to fully bloom in Charlotte.
The titan arum typically requires between 7–10 years of growth before it will bloom for the first time, and the massive bloom only usually lasts 12-24 hours before wilting.
Here’s a time-lapse video of the majestic flower’s development and bloom;
The plant is native of the jungles of Sumatra, where it can produce massive flower structures in excess of 10 feet in height. When cultivated, the structures typically range between 5-8 feet tall.
The plant is nicknamed the ‘corpse flower’ because of it’s extremely strong and extremely unpleasant scent. The chemicals released by the spadix include dimethyl trisulfide (limburger cheese), trimethylamine (rotting fish), isovaleric acid (sweaty socks), benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent), phenol (like Chloraseptic), and indole (like human feces). The plant uses all of these foul scents to attract bugs and beetles to help it pollinate.
