Botanical
history was made at The Huntington on August 1, 1999, when the
"world's largest flower," the Amorphophallus titanum,
came into glorious bloom. It was the first-ever flowering of
one of these rare plants in California, and only the 11th
recorded bloom in the United States.
"The sight of one of these flowers in bloom is extremely rare," notes Kathy Musial, curator of plant collections. "It's considered the 'holy grail' of botany."
Nature's Towering Titan
It is difficult to imagine a more vivid example of the majesty and diversity of the plant kingdom than the Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the Titan Arum. It can tower to a height of 6 feet or more and opens to a diameter of three to four feet. Hardly less remarkable than the flower's immense size is its exceptionally foul odor, designed by nature to attract the carrion beetles and dung beetles that pollinate it.
Native to the equatorial rain forests of Sumatra, where it is known as the "Corpse Flower" because of its smell, the Amorphophallus titanum is commonly referred to as the largest flower in the world. The "flower" is actually an inflorescence (or compound flower) with a fleshy, upright spadix surrounded by a pale green, petal-like spathe that reveals a velvety maroon interior as it unfurls. The actual flowers, male and female, are located at the base of the spadix. A day or two after the plant reaches full bloom, the spadix collapses from its own weight and the spathe withers away, possibly never to bloom again.
Rare Opportunity for Research, Education
The unprecedented
attention surrounding the historic bloom provided The Huntington
with a unique opportunity to pursue two of its most important
missions —
research and education —
before a worldwide audience.
Botanical staff members observed and recorded details of the plant's growth, adding further data to the study of its phenology (the relationship between climate and flowering). An infrared camera on loan from Caltech/JPL monitored changes in the flower's surface temperature as it prepared to bloom. Time-lapse video captured dramatic footage of the flower unfurling. And several pollination experiments were conducted while the plant was in full bloom, in the hopes of producing seed for future propagation.
Deep
inside the protective folds of the Titan's petal-like spathe,
the male and female flowers mature at different times, which
means the plant cannot self-pollinate. In the absence of a second
plant in bloom nearby, human intervention is necessary. John
Trager, whose work as curator of the desert collection frequently
involves hand-pollination of succulents, volunteered his expertise.
Several pollen samples were extracted and applied to the receptive
females over the course of 14 hours. One of the more unusual
techniques involved using a bag of rotting apples, where the
ethylene gas produced by the fruit could accelerate the ripening
of the pollen. If any or all of the pollination tests proved
successful, the plant would bear fruit and eventually yield seed.
When the remainder of the plant's pollen had ripened on its own, it was collected and carefully preserved, to be made available to other botanists, if needed.
A "Titanic" Public Response
The public interest in the Amorphophallus titanum was as "titanic" as the bloom, and staff members and volunteers spent hours among the crowds, answering questions and distributing educational fact sheets. A toll-free hotline was established with daily updates on the plant's progress. For those who could not see the flower in person, detailed information and extensive photos were posted online. Popular t-shirts ($14.95), refrigerator magnets ($3.95), and photographic prints ($20.00) gave fans distinctive souvenirs to commemorate the historic event (available from our BOOKSTORE).
The event also
made institutional history, as record numbers of visitors flocked
to The Huntington to see this botanical titan. During the 19
days it was on public view, before and after blooming, the Amorphophallus
titanum drew an unprecedented total of over 76,000 enthusiastic
flower fans, an increase in attendance of 182% over the same
period the previous year. New highs were also reached in admissions,
memberships, and bookstore sales, all of which will go back into
supporting such activities as botanical research, programs, exhibitions,
and outreach.
News of the imminent bloom quickly spread, exciting anticipation among botanists and the curious public alike. Television coverage alone lasted for 18 consecutive days. Numerous front-page newspaper stories appeared, and countless radio interviews and news stories were broadcast, ranging from National Public Radio and the BBC to alternative rock station KROQ.
After
nearly three weeks of being the museum's star attraction, the
Amorphophallus titanum was returned to the greenhouse
where botanists awaited the results of pollination. It was unknown
when or if the plant would ever flower again, but signs looked
favorable that its brief bloom would prove fruitful (see the
THE SEEDS page to find how
it all turned out!).
And what would founder Henry Huntington think about the world's largest (and smelliest) flower blooming in his well-manicured garden?
"Mr. Huntington loved botanical rarities," said James Folsom, director of the botanical gardens, "and he wanted to share that love with the public. I'm sure he would think this spectacular bloom was a fitting way to celebrate the end of the millennium."