On June 7, 2001, one of the world's largest and most malodorous flowers, the titan arum, bloomed inside the UW-Madison Botany Greenhouse. Titan Arum is a member of the Family Araceae, the Aroids or Arum plants. Members of this family include the Calla Lily and Jack-in-the-Pulpit. The Titan Arum is native to rainforests of central Sumatra in Indonesia and grows from a large tuber that can weigh over 170 pounds. The flowering stalk can reach 10 feet and open to a diameter of three to four feet.

The UW specimen shown here reached 8 feet 5 inches. The fleshy central column is called a spadix. The large, leafy "skirt" enclosing the spadix is the spathe. The individual flowers develop around the base of the spadix under the spathe. When the flowers are mature, the spathe unfurls. This entire, giant flowering structure is called an inflorescence. The spathe unfurls about 3 weeks after the bud tip first appears. The fully open inflorescence emits a repulsive, "rotting-fish-with-burnt-sugar" scent. The odor, strongest at night, is to attract pollinators, which in Titan's Sumatran home are mainly carrion beetles and flesh flies. Thanks to the revolting perfume, the titan arum is also know as the Corpse flower.

To learn more about the specimen show here, see the archived link on the UW-Madison Botany Department web site.