Corpse Flower Amorphophallus Titanum

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Corpse Flower Amorphophallus Titanum Corpse Flower Amorphophallus titanum What makes the corpse flower so special? The corpse flower is huge—it has the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. An inflorescence is a cluster of multiple flowers that sometimes looks like a single flower. The flowers are located at the base of the spadix inside the spathe. There are hundreds of flowers in one inflorescence. How does it grow? The corpse flower stores energy in a huge underground stem called a “corm.” Each spadix year, the corm will produce either a leaf to increase the energy stores through photosynthesis or an inflorescence to produce seeds for reproduction. Since inflorescence such a large bloom requires lots of energy, it can take several years to several decades to store enough energy to bloom. The dramatic blooming process begins with the unfurling of the spathe and spathe revealing of the spadix. Once the bloom is fully open, it emits a rotting meat odor. It may remain in bloom for 24 to 48 hours, and then it will collapse quickly. What’s that smell? The corpse flower gets its name from the putrid scent it emits while in bloom. Some describe it as a combination of garlic, fish, diapers, and rotting meat. The stench serves to attract pollinators, such as carrion beetles and flies. Where in the world does the corpse flower come from? This plant is native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and was first known to science in 1878. In their natural habitat, corpse flower plants can grow up to 12 feet tall. Can I grow one at home? Amorphophallus titanum requires very special conditions, which most home owners cannot achieve, including warm day and night temperatures, high humidity, and lots of space. There are a few corpse flower relatives that are more widely available to homeowners, and can even be grown outdoors in milder climates. The voodoo-lily (Amorphophallus konjac) has most of the remarkable characteristics of the corpse flower in a smaller plant (although it may reach 5-6 feet under ideal conditions). Keep in mind, its overpowering smell may be too intense for indoor growing. Easier to grow indoors and not as foul-smelling is another voodoo-lily (Amorphophallus bulbifer). It may reach a height of over 4 feet. This species produces vegetative bulbils in the leaf axils, which can in turn be planted to produce new plants. More info at www.USBG.gov/CorpseFlower.
Recommended publications
  • Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius) Cultivated in Java
    Yuzammi, Tri Handayani. 2019 P.11 Analysis of Nutrient and Anti-Nutrient Compositions of “Suweg” (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) Cultivated in Java Yuzammi a1 and Tri Handayania a Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanic Gardens – Indonesian Institute of Sciences Jl. Ir. H. Juanda no. 13 Bogor (16122), Indonesia Abstract Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennts.) Nicolson belongs to the family Araceae. It is also known as elephant foot yam or suweg, notably for the Javanese. It is a common species in Java and is cultivated for its edible tubers. The suweg tubers used for this research were collected from Kuningan (West Java), Yogyakarta and Kediri (East Java). The study aimed to elucidate the nutrient and anti-nutrient compositions of suweg’s tuber, including carbohydrate, fat, proteins and minerals viz. Ca, Fe and P. The Kjeldhal method was used for protein determination, soxhlet extraction method for lipids, spectrophotometer method for carbohydrate, and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer method was used for mineral elements. Anti-nutrient contents determinated were Ca Oxalate and HCN using spectrophotometer method. Both fresh tuber and flour powder of suweg were analysed to indicate the highest percentage of Ca Oxalate content. The results showed that nutrient contents of suweg were carbohydrate 87.02 %, protein 7.08 % and fat 0.18%. These indicated that suweg has high carbohydrate and low fat contents; therefore it is suitable for dietary therapy. The concentration of anti-nutrient, such as Ca Oxalate was lower on the flour powder (0.01 %) rather than fresh tuber (0,21 %). This means the tuber of suweg was not harmful to consume after being processed.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproduction in Plants Which But, She Has Never Seen the Seeds We Shall Learn in This Chapter
    Reproduction in 12 Plants o produce its kind is a reproduction, new plants are obtained characteristic of all living from seeds. Torganisms. You have already learnt this in Class VI. The production of new individuals from their parents is known as reproduction. But, how do Paheli thought that new plants reproduce? There are different plants always grow from seeds. modes of reproduction in plants which But, she has never seen the seeds we shall learn in this chapter. of sugarcane, potato and rose. She wants to know how these plants 12.1 MODES OF REPRODUCTION reproduce. In Class VI you learnt about different parts of a flowering plant. Try to list the various parts of a plant and write the Asexual reproduction functions of each. Most plants have In asexual reproduction new plants are roots, stems and leaves. These are called obtained without production of seeds. the vegetative parts of a plant. After a certain period of growth, most plants Vegetative propagation bear flowers. You may have seen the It is a type of asexual reproduction in mango trees flowering in spring. It is which new plants are produced from these flowers that give rise to juicy roots, stems, leaves and buds. Since mango fruit we enjoy in summer. We eat reproduction is through the vegetative the fruits and usually discard the seeds. parts of the plant, it is known as Seeds germinate and form new plants. vegetative propagation. So, what is the function of flowers in plants? Flowers perform the function of Activity 12.1 reproduction in plants. Flowers are the Cut a branch of rose or champa with a reproductive parts.
    [Show full text]
  • Seed and Seed Dispersal
    1st GRADE SEEDS AND SEED DISPERSAL Summary: This lab is all about seeds. First, students take apart a swollen lima bean seed and find the seed coat, food storage area, and the plant embryo. Second, the students sort a bag of seeds into groups and notice that all seeds look different but have the same three seed parts. Finally, students sort seeds that are dispersed in different ways. Students identify seeds that are dispersed by wind, hitchiking, animals carrying and burying, and animals eating and pooping. Intended Learning Outcomes for 1st Grade: Objective 1: Framing questions. Conducting investigations. Drawing conclusions. Objective 2: Developing social interaction skills with peers. Sharing ideas with peers. Connecting ideas with reasons. Objective 3: Ideas are supported by reasons. Communicaiton of ideas in science is important for helping to check the reasons for ideas. Utah State Core Curriculum Tie: Standard 4 Objective 1: Life Science Analyze the individual similarities and differences within and across larger groups. Standard 4 Objective 2: Life Science Describe and model life cycles of living things. Make observations about living things and their environment using the five senses. Preparation time: 1 hour to locate seeds the first time, then 20 min if seeds are reused Lesson time: 50 min Small group size: works best with one adult for every 5 students Materials: 1. one petri dish or paper towel per student 2. 1 bag of dried lima beans 3. One seed classification bag per group, this should include 5-6 seeds of about 15 different seed types. Use old seeds from seed packets or spices or seeds or nuts you may have in your kitchen.
    [Show full text]
  • Flower Development and Its Implication for Seed Production on Amorphophallus Muelleri Blume (Araceae)
    J. Hort. Indonesia 7(2): 65-74. Agustus 2016. Flower Development and Its Implication for Seed Production on Amorphophallus muelleri Blume (Araceae) Edi Santosa1,2*, Adolf Pieter Lontoh1, Ani Kurniawati1, Maryati Sari1 and Nobuo Sugiyama3 Diterima 18 Maret 2016/Disetujui 06 Juli 2016 ABSTRACT There are many studies on agronomic and economic advantages of iles-iles (Amorphophallus muelleri Blume), leading to high demand on seed to support the rapid production expansion in many Asian countries. By contrast, there are few studies on flowering phenology and flower morphology although they affect the seed production. Therefore, we evaluated flowering phenology and flower morphology of 80 plants of A. muelleri grown in a field under 65% artificial shading net at Leuwikopo Experimental Farm IPB Darmaga, Bogor, Indonesia from May 2015 to July 2016 in order to improve seed production. A. muelleri produced solitary spadix, with female flowers at the lower part and male flowers at the upper part. Spadix grew slowly for 56-71 days after bud break, and then grew rapidly thereafter for 30-35 days until anthesis. Seed was harvested 9.6 to 10.2 months after anthesis. We devided the development of spadix into seven phases, bud break as stage I and berry maturity as stage VII. Stage VI to VII determined seed production. Seed production was also affected by root formation and spadix size. There were strong positive correlations between length of the female zones with berry production. Some morphological characteristics of spadix were dependent on corm size, thus, it was likely that agronomic improvement to enhance female flower and corm sizes was important in seed production.
    [Show full text]
  • Well-Known Plants in Each Angiosperm Order
    Well-known plants in each angiosperm order This list is generally from least evolved (most ancient) to most evolved (most modern). (I’m not sure if this applies for Eudicots; I’m listing them in the same order as APG II.) The first few plants are mostly primitive pond and aquarium plants. Next is Illicium (anise tree) from Austrobaileyales, then the magnoliids (Canellales thru Piperales), then monocots (Acorales through Zingiberales), and finally eudicots (Buxales through Dipsacales). The plants before the eudicots in this list are considered basal angiosperms. This list focuses only on angiosperms and does not look at earlier plants such as mosses, ferns, and conifers. Basal angiosperms – mostly aquatic plants Unplaced in order, placed in Amborellaceae family • Amborella trichopoda – one of the most ancient flowering plants Unplaced in order, placed in Nymphaeaceae family • Water lily • Cabomba (fanwort) • Brasenia (watershield) Ceratophyllales • Hornwort Austrobaileyales • Illicium (anise tree, star anise) Basal angiosperms - magnoliids Canellales • Drimys (winter's bark) • Tasmanian pepper Laurales • Bay laurel • Cinnamon • Avocado • Sassafras • Camphor tree • Calycanthus (sweetshrub, spicebush) • Lindera (spicebush, Benjamin bush) Magnoliales • Custard-apple • Pawpaw • guanábana (soursop) • Sugar-apple or sweetsop • Cherimoya • Magnolia • Tuliptree • Michelia • Nutmeg • Clove Piperales • Black pepper • Kava • Lizard’s tail • Aristolochia (birthwort, pipevine, Dutchman's pipe) • Asarum (wild ginger) Basal angiosperms - monocots Acorales
    [Show full text]
  • Ex Situ Conservation of Amorphophallus Titanum in Bogor Botanic Gardens, Indonesia
    PROS SEM NAS MASY BIODIV INDON Volume 2, Nomor 2, Desember 2016 ISSN: 2407-8050 Halaman: 219-225 DOI: 10.13057/psnmbi/m020217 Ex situ conservation of Amorphophallus titanum in Bogor Botanic Gardens, Indonesia Konservasi ex situ Amorphophallus titanum di Kebun Raya Bogor, Indonesia DWI MURTI PUSPITANINGTYAS♥, SITI ROOSITA ARIATI Centre for Plant Conservation Botanic Gardens (Bogor Botanic Gardens), Indonesian Institute of Sciences. Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No. 13 Bogor 16122, Jawa Barat. Tel./Fax. 0251-8322-187, ♥email: [email protected] Manuscript received: 3 November 2016. Revision accepted: 17 December 2016. Abstract. Puspitaningtyas DM, Ariati SR. 2016. Ex situ conservation of Amorphophallus titanum in Bogor Botanic Gardens, Indonesia. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 2: 219-225. Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum (Becc.) Becc.) merupakan tanaman asli dan endemik Sumatera. Tumbuhan ini pertama kali ditemukan pada tahun 1878 oleh ahli botani Florentine (Italia) yang bernama Odoardo Beccari. Perbungaannya yang berukuran raksasa dianggap menarik, sehingga Kebun Raya Bogor menjadikan tumbuhan ini sebagai jenis unggulan. Titan Arum secara alami tumbuh di hutan hujan atau perkebunan/pekarangan penduduk lokal. Di alam liar, habitat alami Titan Arum telah rusak akibat tekanan jumlah penduduk yang terus meningkat, atau banyak dibabat oleh penduduk karena dianggap sebagai gulma. Selain itu, degradasi hutan akibat pembalakan liar oleh penduduk juga menjadi ancaman lain bagi habitat tumbuhan tersebut. Kebun Raya Bogor telah memainkan peranan yang penting dalam konservasi A. titanum secara ex situ. Tumbuhan ini telah dikembangkan sejak tahun 1954 sebagai upaya konservasi ex situ. Kajian ini menampilkan data sekunder A. titanum yang berasal dari database koleksi tumbuhan Kebun Raya Bogor.
    [Show full text]
  • Seed Dispersal: Part 2 in Seed Dispersal Part 2, Find out Three Ways That Seeds Are Dispersed from the Initial Seed Producing Plant: Wind, Water, and Gravity
    Finally Fall: Seed Dispersal: Part 2 In Seed Dispersal Part 2, find out three ways that seeds are dispersed from the initial seed producing plant: wind, water, and gravity. Seed Dispersal Part 1 focused on the movement of seeds from the parent plant to different areas of the environment and that gravity alone, wildlife and humans are often involved. Plants disperse their seeds throughout an ecosystem and this limits competition of necessary resources like sunlight as they grow and mature. Seed Dispersal by Wind Seed dispersal by wind is a very common mechanism. Use the space below to make predictions about how wind is involved in seed dispersal. Do you know any plant species where wind disperses their seeds? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Wind is the main source of seed dispersal for many native plants. Have you ever seen a little yellow dandelion? Have you ever looked at that same flower and noticed that it has turned fluffy and white? The fluff you may have seen were the seeds of the dandelion! Generally, when flowers are at the end of their life cycle they will go to seed, which means the plant will use its energy to focus on reproduction. In the case of a dandelion, seeds are so light and fluffy, they are easily transported by the wind as it blows. Other factors can help the wind pick up the seeds. For example, if an animal walks into the dandelion that has gone to seed, the seeds may be released from the stalk of the plant. Seeds then can be transported by the wind even more effortlessly, having gotten a jump start on the process thanks to that animal.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Life of Western Australia
    INTRODUCTION The characteristic features of the vegetation of Australia I. General Physiography At present the animals and plants of Australia are isolated from the rest of the world, except by way of the Torres Straits to New Guinea and southeast Asia. Even here adverse climatic conditions restrict or make it impossible for migration. Over a long period this isolation has meant that even what was common to the floras of the southern Asiatic Archipelago and Australia has become restricted to small areas. This resulted in an ever increasing divergence. As a consequence, Australia is a true island continent, with its own peculiar flora and fauna. As in southern Africa, Australia is largely an extensive plateau, although at a lower elevation. As in Africa too, the plateau increases gradually in height towards the east, culminating in a high ridge from which the land then drops steeply to a narrow coastal plain crossed by short rivers. On the west coast the plateau is only 00-00 m in height but there is usually an abrupt descent to the narrow coastal region. The plateau drops towards the center, and the major rivers flow into this depression. Fed from the high eastern margin of the plateau, these rivers run through low rainfall areas to the sea. While the tropical northern region is characterized by a wet summer and dry win- ter, the actual amount of rain is determined by additional factors. On the mountainous east coast the rainfall is high, while it diminishes with surprising rapidity towards the interior. Thus in New South Wales, the yearly rainfall at the edge of the plateau and the adjacent coast often reaches over 100 cm.
    [Show full text]
  • Voodoo Lily, Amorphophallus Konjac Voodoo Lily Is a Perennial Generally Grown As a Curiosty for Its Interesting Foliage
    A Horticulture Information article from the Wisconsin Master Gardener website, posted 17 Dec 2012 Voodoo Lily, Amorphophallus konjac Voodoo lily is a perennial generally grown as a curiosty for its interesting foliage. Native to warm subtropical to tropical areas of eastern Asia, including Vietnam, Japan and China south to Indonesia, Amorphophallus konjac has been know by several other scientifi c names including A. rivieri, A. rivieri var. konjac, A. mairei, and Hydrosme rivieri as well as numerous common names including Devil’s tongue, dragon plant, elephant yam, konnyku, leopard arum, snake palm and umbrella arum (and some of the common names also refer to other species of arums). The starchy tubers are edible and this plant is grown for food in some parts of the world, processed into a tasteless fl our or stiff jelly (which can be used as a vegan subsitute for gelatin). The Japanese use konjac fl our to make shirataki noodles, and the starch is used to make a popular Asian fruit jelly snack. Voodoo lily in leaf. This plant in the philodendron family (Araceae) produces a single leaf from a subterranean tuber (sometimes incorrectly called corms). The globose tuber can grow up to 50 pounds and a foot in diameter. The tuber shrinks away as the new leaf grows and during the growing season a new, larger tuber replaces it. The fl eshy leaf stalk (petiole) is a very A single leaf is produced from each bulb. interesting mottled pinkish-gray and olive green. The single intricate leaf consists of a horizontal blade on the vertical petiole which is divided into three sections, giving an umbrella-like effect.
    [Show full text]
  • Basic Botany
    Basic Botany - Flower Structure The Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Glasshouses Brief Descriptions of Activities Flower Structure • a Study Centre-led activity • Using large-scale models and bee (glove puppet) to take pupils through the basic flower parts and their functions Investigating Floral Structure A wide range of flowers are always on display in the glasshouses. Their structure can be recorded in a variety of ways: • Directed observation through use of questionnaires • Drawing half a flower and labelling its structure • Creating a plan of the flower as if viewed from above • Creating a simple floral formula (this worksheet is using a simplified form of the recording system used by botanists) See worksheets 1-4 at back of booklet. Pollination Mechanisms • An extension of this work is to look at a variety of ways in which plants are designed in order to attract different pollinators See ‘A Guide To Pollinators’ at back of booklet. • Busy Bees. This is a game where pupils act out pollination See worksheet 5 at back of booklet Guide To Pollinators “Bee Flowers” Typically yellow, blue or purple. They produce pollen and lots of nectar, are often marked with lines and blotches and are sweetly scented at certain times of the day. “Butterfly Flowers” Vivid colours, often purple, red or white. Usually open during the day with a long thin corolla tube, lots of nectar and a strong scent. “Moth Flowers” Often white, p ink or pale yellow, open at night and have a heavy scent. “Wasp Flowers” Often pinkish or dirty red, with horizontal or drooping cups into which the short tongued wasp can push its head.
    [Show full text]
  • Amorphophallus Titanum (Titan Arum) Frequently Asked Questions
    Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum) Frequently asked questions When was the plant first introduced to Europe? The plant was first introduced to the western world by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari who found it on an expedition in 1878 and sent seeds & corms back to Italy, which were then shared with other Botanic Gardens. Where is Titan Arum found naturally? The Titan Arum is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, one of the largest islands of Indonesia. When did it first flower in cultivation? Plants were grown at selected gardens from the first seeds collected by Odoardo Beccari, and RBGE Kew successfully grew theirs to produce the first flower in cultivation in 1889. Does it have a common name? Amorphophallus is a scientific name, derived from Ancient Greek and means ‘misshapen penis’. The plant has different common names, including ‘titan arum’ and ‘corpse flower’. How old is this plant? The seed was sown at Hortus Botanicus Leiden (in the Netherlands) in 2002 and the resultant corm (a type of tuber) was gifted to RBGE in 2003, at the size of a small orange. That makes New Reekie around 17 years old! Is it edible? This species is not known to be edible, but corms of other Amorphophallus species are used as a food source. A.konjac is known for its soluble fibre flour used to make low calorie ‘skinny noodles’. What is it related to in the plant kingdom? It is a monocot (the same as grasses), and is closely related to Monstera deliciosa (the Swiss cheese plant), Zantedeschia aethiopica (calla lily), and Spathiphyllum spp.
    [Show full text]
  • (Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) in Asia
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Population structure of elephant foot yams (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) in Asia Edi Santosa1☯*, Chun Lan Lian2☯, Nobuo Sugiyama3☯¤, Raj Shekhar Misra4³, Patchareeya Boonkorkaew5³, Kanokwan Thanomchit5³ 1 Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, 2 Asian Natural Environmental Science Center, The University of Tokyo, Nishitokyo- shi, Tokyo, Japan, 3 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, a1111111111 Tokyo, Japan, 4 Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, a1111111111 5 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand a1111111111 a1111111111 ☯ These authors contributed equally to this work. a1111111111 ¤ Current address: Department of Horticulture Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan ³ These authors also contributed equally to this work. * [email protected] OPEN ACCESS Abstract Citation: Santosa E, Lian CL, Sugiyama N, Misra RS, Boonkorkaew P, Thanomchit K (2017) The corms and leaves of elephant foot yams (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicol- Population structure of elephant foot yams (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) son) are important foods in the local diet in many Asian regions. The crop has high produc- in Asia. PLoS ONE 12(6): e0180000. https://doi. tivity and wide agroecological adaptation and
    [Show full text]