Magnificent Corpse Lily

Amorphophallus titanum, known as the titan arum.... more

by Carole-Anne Fooks

Title

Magnificent Corpse Lily

Artist

Carole-Anne Fooks

Medium

Photograph

Description

Amorphophallus titanum, known as the titan arum.
The Corpse Lily is a rare flower (highly endangered in its native location of Sumatra due to deforestation). It was grown by the Adelaide Royal Botanic Gardens at their Mount Lofty Nursery. South Australia has the biggest collection of these plants in the world due to our botanists working out a new breeding technique. Botanic Gardens all over the world are working to save this unique flower which grows straight out of the ground to 2 metres high (is the largest flower in the world) and lasts for just 2 days!! Its stamen smells of rotting flesh to attract flies & bids which are its pollinators. The flowers are being bred in a nursery conservatory to control their climate as they would not survive outside in our climate.
This image is modified as the background in the conservatory was really dreadful so I took out all the horrible background and put in a sky so the flower can be seen clearly.

Uploaded

February 9th, 2016