Blooming of Amorphophallus titanum (corpse flower) at BBG

August 2006

Now at BBG

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Proclamation

Borough President Marty Markowitz Proclaims "Baby the Corpse Flower Bloom Day."

Proclamation

Baby's First Bloom

The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is one of the world's most remarkable plants. Native to tropical forests in Sumatra, it produces a monstrous four- to nine-foot-tall flower head, which releases a monstrous stench of putrefaction at peak bloom (another name for the plant is the corpse flower!). The species rarely flowers in cultivation; but in August 2006, BBG's ten-year-old specimen—nicknamed "Baby"—flowered in spectacular style and with much fanfare. It was the first time a titan arum had bloomed in New York in nearly 70 years.

Baby reached peak bloom early in the morning on Friday, August 11, after nearly a week and a half of rapid floral growth. The flower head topped off at over 5½ feet high. We pollinated the titan arum with pollen donated from Virgina Tech and are waiting to see if Baby produces a harvestable crop of seed-bearing fruits. In the meantime, you can relive the whole flowering experience by reading our colorful staff webblog and browsing our fabulous photo gallery. On this webpage, you'll also find links to articles on the natural history of the titan arum, the history of BBG's specimen, information about growing and conserving this threatened species, and more.

titan arum

The titan arum at peak bloom, Friday, August 11th, 2006.

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Latest Blog Entry

Wednesday, August 16th, 2006

Well, it finally happened. At around 10:00 a.m. this morning, the spathe collapsed. It happened very quickly—and I wasn't even there to see it!

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