After many years of waiting, the moment has finally come: A specimen of the notorious “corpse plant” is set to bloom in the next few days in the Botanic Garden Berlin’s Main Tropical Greenhouse. The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is considered the tallest bloom in the world and its flowering cycle represents one of the most spectacular events in the plant kingdom. Though it can take several years to reach the flowering stage, the bloom itself only lasts around three days. It is difficult to predict exactly when the titan arum will open; botanists can often only say with certainty on the morning or afternoon of the day itself.
| June 11, 2025: | |
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| A titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) specimen at the Botanic Garden Berlin has developed an inflorescence, a cluster of flowers on a stem. This is the first time it has begun flowering since 2021! | |
| June 23, 2025: | |
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| They grow up so fast... The spadix (light green) can now be seen poking out from the spathe (dark green). | |
| June 25, 2025 | |
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| Wow! The inflorescence has now reached the impressive height of 2.11 m, making it the tallest bloom at the Botanic Garden Berlin to date. | |
| June 27, 2025 | |
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| And it keeps on growing! Currently 2.29 metres. We can hardly wait to see how big the Titan Arum gets! | |
A Botanical Spectacle
The titan arum blooms at night. This process begins over the course of an afternoon, when the enormous leaf-like structure at the base of the plant, called a spathe, slowly unfurls to reveal the tall, central spike known as the spadix. By nighttime, the plant is in full bloom. On the first night, the titan arum releases a powerful odor that smells like rotting meat – hence the plant’s nickname of the “corpse plant.” This intense scent fades by the second day as the spathe gradually begins to close. By the third day, the floral display is over as the bloom starts to collapse and wilt. After the flowering cycle, the plant enters a rest period. It then produces a single, massive leaf that can grow up to several meters tall and resembles a small tree. This leaf gathers energy for up to two years before it dies back again. The underground tuber then goes dormant, often for several years, before blooming again.
A Stinky Affair
The titan arum’s distinctive odor plays an important role in its pollination strategy. The plant mimics the smell of a decaying animal to attract carrion insects that normally seek out rotting flesh as a place to lay their eggs. However, instead of finding a suitable breeding site, these insects enter the flower structure and unknowingly help to pollinate it. On the first night of blooming, only the female flowers deep inside the floral chamber are receptive to pollen. By the second night, the male flowers open and release their own pollen. This asynchronous timing prevents the plant from fertilizing itself, promoting genetic diversity. To make sure its scent reaches as many pollinators as possible, the titan arum heats up its central spike, the spadix, to a temperature that is higher than that of the surrounding air. This creates a sort of beacon effect that makes it even easier for potential pollinators to detect the plant. The smell is most intense during the first night of bloom and fades significantly by the next day.
Rare and at Risk
The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is a perennial plant in the family Araceae. It forms an underground tuber that can reach weights of up to 100 kg. Once the tuber is large enough – a process that can take several years – the plant develops an inflorescence. This is a cluster of flowers on a stem that can grow up to three meters tall. The Guinness Book of World Records has awarded the titan arum’s inflorescence the title of “tallest bloom in the world.” The titan arum was first scientifically described by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1878, who observed the plant in its native habitat of Sumatra (Indonesia) in 1878. The ongoing destruction of its native rainforest habitat means that titan arums are endangered in the wild. As they are difficult to cultivate, having one bloom is a particularly exciting occasion.