Amorphophallus titanium-Corpse flower

Last Updated on 21st May, 2021
1 minute, 38 seconds

Description

GS PAPER II: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context: Over a thousand people queued up outside an abandoned gas station in San Francisco’s Bay Area to catch a glimpse of the ‘corpse flower’.

Amorphophallus titanium-Corpse flower

  • Known for its putrid smell, which is often compared to that of rotting flesh.
  • This ultra-rare plant is known to bloom only once every seven to ten years.
  • The flower is also considered to be one of the largest in the world.
  • While the plant is native to Indonesia, its saplings have been cultivated in zoos, botanical gardens and greenhouses around the world over the years.
  • It can grow to be up to 10 feet tall and known to be one of the world’s largest ‘unbranched inflorescence’ or a stalk bearing a cluster of flowers.
  • It emits a heady odour in order to attract pollinating insects in the wild such as scavenging flies and beetles.
  • It was listed as an endangered plant in 2018 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

              

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-are-thousands-lining-up-to-see-the-foul-smelling-corpse-flower-7323138/

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