Emily Chan
The corpse flower is scientifically known as Amorphophallus titanium. It is native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and was first discovered in 1878.
According to the United States Botanic Garden, it is the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence, which refers to a cluster of flowers acting as one.
The corpse flower can grow up to eight feet tall. The record holder for the tallest flowering specimen measured over 12 feet tall.
In the United States, public viewings of the intriguing flower have occurred several times. The U.S. Botanic Garden has displayed blooming corpse flowers during the following years: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
There are less than 1,000 specimens left in the wild. The plant is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
It is estimated that the population has decreased by more than 50 percent over the past 150 years due to habitat loss.
Logging and further development of the oil palm industry are the main contributors to the flower’s decline.
As a result, many botanical gardens and universities have been participating in conservation efforts to grow more corpse flowers and maintain a diverse gene pool.
It is the hope that Cosmo’s genetics can be shared with other institutions across the country so they can grow their own corpse flowers, protecting the rare plant from extinction.
