Rainforest Biome
Explore the largest rainforest in captivity. Trek through the humid tropics via SE Asia, West Africa and South America.
Titan arum
This rare beauty is only very occasionally found in our Rainforest Biome - about once a year. Look out for our social media updates. The plant is only open for 48 hours and attracts insect pollinators with its stench of rotting flesh.
Botanical description
Explore the plant
1
The plant grows leaves and dies down for up to nine years before a bud appears. This picture shows dozens of the plants at our nursery.
2
The plant grows at an extraordinary rate in the few weeks before it flowers.
3
The tallest titan arum we've ever grown at Eden measured 291cm – only 19cm off the world record!
4
After years of growth, the inflorescence opens for only 48 hours. It normally begins to open in the evening.
5
Insect pollinators are attracted to the base of the spadix by the stench of rotting flesh.
6
The spathe – the large petal structure that surrounds the spadix – is ridged and deep purple on the inside.
7
The edge of the spathe is ruffled.
8
Our horticulturalists extract pollen when a titan arum is in bloom.
9
Each berry in the fruiting head contains a seed that is about as big as a Brazil nut.
Facts
Did you know?
The titan arum is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as its rainforest habitat in Western Sumatra, Indonesia, is under threat from deforestation.
- It's the largest flowering structure (inflorescence) on Earth, growing up to three metres tall.
- When it blooms the flower produces its own heat to help spread the smell and attract pollinators.
- This plant rarely blooms in cultivation (only producing a flower after 7-9 years) but Tim Grigg, a horticulturist at Eden’s nursery, has had a remarkable success rate having produced many for display in the Rainforest Biome. He has to hand-pollinate the individual flowers. They can take up to seven years to bloom.
- Find out how pollen from our titan arums has been used to hand pollinate a flower in Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
- The swollen underground storage stem (tuber) can weigh more than 75kg.
- Research is being carried out to see if a protein from the titan arum could be used to create a treatment for African sleeping sickness, which kills thousands of people each year in sub-Saharan Africa.
- This arum is related to the cuckoo pint (lords and ladies) found in British hedgerows.
Biggest flower in the world
Where it grows
Eau de Titan: Eden Project's 'corpse flower' fragrance
Eau de Titan: Eden Project's 'corpse flower' fragrance
Useful links
Seeds in our shop
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