Corpse Flower
The Giant Corpse Flower can reach heights of 6 feet with the largest ones recorded at 9 feet (that’s the flower). The plant part of this flower actually reaches heights of 20 feet. The Corpse Flower is also unique because its extra large flower produces a wicked smell equal to rotting eggs or a dead animal (thus the name…Corpse Flower).
The Corpse Flower is native to Sumatra, an island in the Indonesia. It thrives at the edges of rainforest near open grassland. This flower grows well under a thin canopy to get both the benefits of the rainforest as well as sunlight. Also, there is enough space for the plant portion to grow 20 feet high, 15 feet across, and 170 pounds in weight.
For all its grandeur, the actual flower only stays for 2 days on average and then disappears for another 1-3 years. This giant flower emerges from a huge underground storage tuber once every 1-3 years. In non-producing years the plant unfurls a single leaf which can reach the size and appearance of a small tree with many smaller leaflets. In preparation for flowering, the corpse flower plant must shed its leaf and sit dormant for up to 4 months in order to muster its energy reserves for the grand flowering.
The cause of such horrible smells are due to the flower’s odor chemicals which are still being studied. More than likely there are sulfurous chemicals present that are also responsible for the smell of rotten eggs. It’s also noteworthy that the smells come out in waves. One minute there is the smell of rotting fish or animals and the next is the aroma of rotting pumpkins. Corpse Flowers attract flies that usually lay eggs in the rotting flesh and beetles. The strong odors are great at attracting insects like these and do so wherever in the world the Corpse Flower is cultivated. The odor is strong enough to be detected from a half mile away. |
