Sunday, March 11, 2012

A different flower, large, smelly yet rare....

The largest (unbranched) flower inflorescence in the world

 Amorphophallus titanum -- also known as the "corpse plant," "corpse flower". A. titanum grows naturally only in Sumatra in Indonesia, although it is found around the world in greenhouses that compete for the largest corpse flower plant. The Guinness Book of Records title currently is held by a New Hampshire specimen that had a spadix measuring 10-feet-2.25-inches tall in 2010. Counting the stem and spadix, A. titanum can reach 20 feet tall. The corpse flower smells like rotting meat to attract the flies and beetles that pollinate it. Even more interesting, during the flowering phase, the plant generates heat which can be felt if you have the guts to stick your hand inside the inflorescence. The heat and the smell mimics an animal that has recently died to attract the flies that will pollinate the flower.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Thomsonieae
Genus: Amorphophallus

credits
http://www.sarracenia.com                                                                                  
untamedscience.com

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