| What record was broken? |
The Tallest Bloom! The Corpse Flower, or Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is already the tallest, unbranched inflorescence in the world, but on June 18, 2010, it entered the record books with a height of 10 ft 2.25 in at Winnipesaukee Orchids in Gilford, New Hampshire! |
| What makes it wonderful? |
Record-breaking size or not, it’s super rare to see a Corpse Flower in bloom, since it’s only open for 24-48 hours every 1-10 years! I got lucky to see one at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, which has only bloomed five times in the last fifteen years (1999, 2002, 2009, 2010, and 2014)! This one, nicknamed Stinky, reached a height of five and a half feet, a little short of the world record, but still phenomenal!
The Corpse Flower isn’t really a flower, but an inflorescence, or collection of teeny tiny flowers! It’s native to the shrinking jungles of Sumatra and made its claim to fame with its characteristic, roadkill stink, which draws flies to pollinate it! Even though it looks like Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors and smells like all the people she ate, the Corpse Flower is actually related to more common household plants, like callas and philodendrons! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? |
The record was broken in New Hampshire, but there are Corpse Flowers in cultivation all over the world! You’ll have to do some investigating to find the bloom nearest you and see if it breaks the record once more! I saw a Corpse Flower at the Huntington Library and Gardens, which is located at:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
From Los Angeles: ~12mi (20km) — 0.2hrs
From Sacramento: ~389mi (627km) — 6.5hrs
From San Diego: ~128mi (206km) — 2.2hrs
From San Francisco: ~386mi (622km) — 6.5hrs |
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