Titan Arum, the World’s Tallest Flower Blooming at Niagara Parks

Update on May 28th.

Morph is blooming!
The flower started to open about 9:00 pm on May 27th with the spathe unfurling to reveal a beautiful maroon colour inside. By the next morning, the full glory of the spathe could be seen.

The Titan Arum in full bloom at 8:00 am on May 28th, 2014 at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse.

The Titan Arum in full bloom at 8:00 am on May 28th, 2014 at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse.

The final height at blooming was recorded at 96 inches (2.4 m). And yes, the Corpse Flower name really does apply to this flower. As Morph opened, the putrid smell of decaying flesh got more intense – especially when climbing a ladder to get a top down photo!

The female flowers can be seen when peeking through a cut out window of the Titan Arum blooming at Niagara Parks. Male pollen from Ohio State's Titan Arum was used to cross pollinate the flower.

The female flowers can be seen through a cut out window of the Titan Arum bloom at Niagara Parks. Male pollen from Ohio State’s Titan Arum was used to cross pollinate the flower this morning in the hopes the Morph will produce seed.

Morph, the Niagara Parks Titan Arum beginning to bloom on May 27th, 2014 at 11:30 pm.

Morph, one of the Niagara Parks’ Titan Arums beginning to bloom on May 27th, 2014 at 11:30 pm.

Update on May 27th.

Morph is now 91 inches tall (2.3 m) and is going to bloom any day now! The outer sheath has fallen away and the frilly spathe can now be clearly seen as well as the “squished French bread” spadix.

The Titan Arum just before it blooms at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse on May 27th, 2014

The Titan Arum just before it blooms at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse on May 27th, 2014

 

Update on May 18th, 2014
One of the Titan Arums at Niagara Parks is about to bloom again.  The plant, Amorphophallus titanum, called the Titan Arum or Corpse Plant, is one of six dormant corms donated to Niagara Parks by Louis Ricciardiello of Gilford, New Hampshire, in December 2011. Titan Arum specimen #1, nicknamed “Morph”, bloomed for the first time at Niagara Parks on May 4th, 2012. At blooming the flower was an incredible height of 244 cm (96 inches). After it bloomed, Morph went dormant for five months, and then in October 2012 it grew a huge leaf that measured 6 m (20 feet) tall. That leaf soaked up the sun for a year and, with the copious amounts of water and fertilizer, put nutrients back into the underground corm to hopefully return it to blooming size. The plant went dormant, and during the winter of 2013-2014 it was repotted. At that time, the corm weighed an impressive 80 kg (175 lbs) and was 68 cm (27 inches) in diameter. Now, in May 2014, after a two year wait the Titan Arum is sending up a beautiful flower bud.

The anticipation is building as Morph’s new shoot gets measured every day by Wayne Hoeschle, its caretaker. The shoot is growing between 3 and 6 inches every day and is expected to bloom in about a week.  As of this morning, May 22nd, 2014 Wayne reports that Morph is 200 cm (79 inches) tall.

The two pictures below were taken May 18th at 65 inches in height.

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For the latest news on the Titan Arum bloom visit the Niagara Parks Facebook Page

Take a look at the Titan Arum live webcam on the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse website for the latest flower bud view.

 

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