Scientific Name: Amorphophallus titanium
Note: Many species of the Rafflesia genus are also referred to as “corpse flower”. Here
I am researching the titan arum, a specific species of the Amorphophallus
genus.
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Monocotyledons
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Amorphophallus
Species: A. titanium
Fun(?) Fact: The corpse flower is so vividly named
because of its terrible stench, which reminded its taxonomists of rotting
flesh. This stench is used by the flower to attract its favored pollinators,
which include carrion- and feces-eating beetles.
Description: The corpse flower is an extremely large
plant for a regular angiosperm. The flower itself may be five to ten feet tall and
features a bulbous central structure known as the spathe, which stores the
plant’s new seeds. The petals form a dull pinkish-red bell-shape and fan out
elegantly around the pale spathe.
Environment: The exotic corpse flower is indigenous
to the Indonesian island of Sumatra
Reproduction & Development: The corpse flower is
differentiated as well by its unusual growth and sexual development. Anywhere
from two years to ten years may elapse between a single plant’s blooms, as it
requires specific environmental conditions to perform this activity. Between
blooms the plant retreats to its underground body and root system, called the
corm. When blooming, its stench attracts
its beetle pollinators, which become trapped inside the spathe and then are
released coated with corpse-flower pollen, which will hopefully be carried
inside another blooming plant that has managed to hoodwink the unfortunate
beetles.
Nutrition: The corpse flower is a vascular plant,
which means it pumps nutrients and water from the soil. Like most other plants,
it also produces energy using photosynthesis. Unlike many of my other posts
here, it is not deadly at all, merely unpleasantly scented.
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