Corpse Flower, Features, Life cycle

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Corpse Flower Latest News

Recently, a “corpse flower” at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney has drawn more than 20,000 curious viewers to a special display for its much-anticipated opening.

About Corpse Flower

It is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, gets its name from the literal translation of the Indonesian phrase Bunga bangkai.
Its species name is Amorphophallus titanium.

Features of Corpse Flower

Some corpse flowers have been known to grow 3 meters (about 10 feet) tall before revealing a phallic spadix (or spike).
Its odor released by the spadix to attract insects is often likened to decaying meat.
Its blooms are often inconsistent. Many will bloom once a decade, though sometimes even more frequently.

Life Cycle of Corpse Flower

The life cycle depends on the time it takes for the “corm” of the flower to gather enough energy to bloom.
When enough energy has been stored through leaf cycles, the flowering stage begins.
The bloom lasts for a day, with the spathe (the purple, petal-like structure surrounding the spadix) taking hours to fully unfurl.
Insects attracted to the odor are ones that lay their eggs in decaying meat, but they have the benefit of moving pollen between male and female flowers to trigger the flower’s reproductive cycle.
These flowers have both male and female flowers. Female flowers open first to prevent a plant from pollinating itself. Nearby flowers are required to bloom at similar times in order for cross-pollination to be possible.
Chemicals emitted during female flowering are: Dimethyl disulfide, Dimethyl trisulfide, 3-Methylbutanal, Dimethyl sulfide and Methanethiol, Methyl thioacetate and Isovaleric acid.
It is categorized as Endangered by the IUCN.