Titan Arum
Introduction
Titan Arums (also known as Corpse Flowers) are only found in the jungles of Sumatra and produce the world’s largest floral structures—imagine rounding a bend in the jungle and encountering a flower taller than you (unless you’re 10 feet tall!). Of course, they’d be hard to sneak up on when open, as the rotting meat odor coming from the fully open bloom can travel up to a half-mile away. It’s no wonder when they bloom in captivity at gardens around the world they draw in admirers who must see (and smell) it to believe this larger-than-life botanical spectacle! Titans normally open in the evening and the intense odor only lasts for 12 hours. The bloom will stay open (with a much lighter odor) for only 1-2 days. The plant must reach 10-15 years of age before it blooms for the first time and then blooms every 3-5 years thereafter.
MEET OUR TITANS!
BELLA
Bella was our first Titan, she first bloomed in 2007 and then again June 22nd – June 24th of 2010. Like a movie star, Bella’s second bloom came and went very quickly. We believe the super-high temperatures contributed to her rapid aging (we were all fading quickly in the heat!). Most likely she was fully open and at her stinkiest during the middle of the night between Tuesday the 22nd & Wednesday the 23rd. By the end of the 24th, her petal-like spathe was withered and we pronounced the bloom over on the 25th. Thanks to the speed of communications these days, the word got out quickly and we estimate that we had about 4,000 visitors over a three day period.
Bella has since passed, though we will always appreciate her presence and stature as our first Titan!
Odie First Bloom
Odie's First Bloom (7/17/2015)
ODIE
FIRST BLOOM
Odie began unfurling at approximately 12:30 pm on Friday July 17th, 2015, and was open by 8:00 pm, filling the greenhouse with a pungent odor of dead animal mixed with burnt sugar. By 11:00 pm the spathe opened even wider and flattened out. This is when John Denti attempted pollination (at full odor intensity!). Saturday morning the spathe began to draw back in, displaying a beautiful form. This short-lived bloom is as expected and part of the allure of this amazing plant. Years worth of energy go into a gigantic display designed for one night only!
SECOND BLOOM
Not to be outdone by his “twin” Rotney, Odie put up a flower that bloomed on May 24th, 2018! Many visitors that came to view Rotney returned to view Odie, some for the second time! Odie reached a mature height of 5’4.5″. The flower was a beautiful bright green and red and the bloom progressed much faster than Rotney and smelled stronger. On the evening of May 24th, Greenhouse Manager Tammy Blume and volunteer and titan enthusiast Mariah Huffman attempted pollination by hand with pollen that was collected three weeks earlier from Rotney. This pollination was successful, and Odie produced beautiful orange and red berries, which you can see to the left. These seeds were collected and some were used to start new plants for our collection, while others were shared with other institutions all over the country.
Rotney the Magnifiscent
FIRST BLOOM
Rotney bloomed on May 3rd, 2018. At approximately 9:45pm, Orchid Curator Mary Duke attempted hand pollination with pollen from Ohio State University’s “Scarlet.” This pollination was not successful. However, we were able to collect pollen from the male flowers of Rotney, which were used to pollinate Odie during his second bloom about 3 weeks later, and that pollination WAS successful. Over 2,000 people came through McMillan Greenhouse to view Rotney, the third titan arum to bloom in the history of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens.
SECOND BLOOM
Introducing Rotney the Magnifiscent – the second! Some of you may have noticed that Rotney looks a little… different… than his last bloom. As he entered into his rapid growth phase, it became evident that at some point in his development, there was a malformation in the structure of the spadix. While typical spadix grow straight up, Rotney’s spadix grew in an unusual direction. He started to open on Saturday, June 6, 2020 around 11:30 a.m. and reached full bloom overnight.
Stinkerbell
Once upon a time at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, after years of careful nurturing, Amorphophallus titanum, Odie, began to grow. Horticulturists there began to realize he was going to flower. Not too far away, at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, another Titan was beginning to open. Staff from UNCCBG hurried over to collect pollen from their Titan, Morpheus. They brought this pollen back to pollinate Odie. The fertilization was successful; seed was sown, germinated, and carefully nurtured. Eight years later, Stinkerbell began to flower!
Cadavera's First Bloom
Measuring Cadavera's Height (9/26/25)
Cadavera
At just over six feet tall, Cadavera is officially our largest corpse flower bloom yet! As an offspring of Odie x Morpheus, she shares the same genes as our last bloom, Stinkerbell! We were honored and ecstatic to see over 7,000 people on the night of her bloom, with the line wrapping all the way around Fretwell. Her bloom was announced at 2 P.M. on Wednesday, October 1st and we welcomed visitors well into 2 A.M. the following day!
FAQ
Where does the Titan Arum come from?
The Titan Arum grows in the moist, shady jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia.
What a weird looking flower. Is it really the largest flower in the world?
The Titan Arum produces the largest unbranched, inflorescence in the world. The largest of these recorded in cultivation was over 9.5 ft tall! An inflorescence is a structure containing multiple flowers. The Titan Arum bears a special type of inflorescence that looks like one gigantic flower. The tall slender central spike actually bears hundreds of tiny male and female flowers at its base. These little flowers at the base of the spike are hidden by the pleated sheath surrounding it. This sheath will open up at bloom and look like a sort of giant, frilly, maroon petal. Botanists call this sheath and spike type of inflorescence a “spathe and spadix.”
Plants that produce these spathe and spadix blooms are in the arum family of plants. A local member of this family is the woodland “Jack-in-the-pulpit.” Jack is the spadix and his pulpit is the spathe.
Does it really smell that bad?
Yes, but not for long! The plant produces waves of odor that have been variously described as smelling of rotting animal, dung, and rancid cheese. The Indonesian name for the Titan translates as “corpse flower.” Thankfully, these odors are only produced for 8 to 24 hours, corresponding to the “ripening” of the tiny female flowers, followed by the tiny male flowers at the base of the spike. In the wild, the odor can carry for up to a half-mile attracting specific pollinators. Scientists have observed carrion beetles, carrion flies, and sweat bees visiting the Titan Arum in Sumatra.
How old are your Titans?
We acquired the “twins” Odie and Rotney in 2008, and they were about 2 years old then. Our old Titan Arum, “Bella” bloomed in 2007 and again in 2010 before she died. In the wild, individuals are estimated to bloom 3-6 times in a 40-yr life span. Plants in cultivation almost never live that long.
Where did you get “Bella”, your first Titan Arum plant?
We got ours as a small tuber from Tony Avent, of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh. Tony is a fan of many plants in the same genus as the Titan Arum. Some species of Amorphophallus are actually winter-hardy in the Carolinas. These plants are much smaller than the Titan Arum, but still fascinating, and even smelly in their own right. The Titan Arum is extremely sensitive to cold and must never be exposed to temperatures below 50° F.
Why did you name her Bella? … Is it really a “she”?
Bella is actually an “it or “they” because the “flower” is both male and female. Akin to naming a child, we decided on “Bella” for several reasons. Bella is Latin for beautiful, and we are so proud of this flower that, despite its smell, we can only think of it as wonderfully beautiful. Additionally, the shape of the spathe surrounding the spike is that of an inverted Bell.
Are Titans rare?
In their natural habitat they have a limited range, but until recently they were uncommon (but not rare) within that range. Unfortunately they are now becoming rarer and rarer due to habitat destruction and illegal collecting of the tubers. A good number of botanical gardens around the world (and even individuals) have specimens, but they require specific growing conditions to thrive, and there is no guarantee they will ever bloom. Being lucky enough to have one bloom in cultivation is the rarity.
Where are the stems and leaves of this plant?
The Titan Arum grows out of a large, underground corm, which is very much like a bulb or tuber. The corm is actually a compressed underground stem that looks like a roundish, flattened potato. The corms of some Titans have weighed in at over 200 lbs!
At different stages during its life the Titan’s corm is either dormant underground, or bearing a giant compound leaf or a solitary, giant inflorescence. In other words, the leaf and the flower never exist on the plant at the same time. After the Titan blooms, its amazing “flower” will wither and collapse, but the corm below ground will remain. After a short period a giant leaf will emerge. The leaf is spectacular in its own right. Its stalk is up to 12’ tall (taller in the wild), colored with splotches in shades of green and cream, and appearing somewhat like a giant, lacy umbrella. Although it looks like a weird sort of tree, it is truly just one giant, compound leaf! The leaf can last up to a year before it turns yellow and dies. Then the plant must go through a period of rest (dormancy). During this time it exists only as the underground corm.
Where can I find out more about the Titan Arum?
The web is full of information on this fascinating, dramatic plant. Most gardens and universities that have had one bloom have pictures and information. Search for “Titan Arum” or “Amorphophallus titanum” Enjoy!
