World first: three giant ‘corpse’ flowers bloom in Chinese botanical garden
- This is the first time the blooming of so many separate plants has taken place within such a short period in a greenhouse, say botanists
- Chinese researchers aim to discover species with economic value that can be modified with cutting-edge technology, such as gene editing
Three titan arums, or “corpse” plants, that blossomed in the China National Botanical Garden in Beijing this month gave humans the first opportunity to observe the simultaneous blooming of these giant flowers in an artificial environment, according to a report by Science and Technology Daily published on Wednesday.
The titan arum carries thousands of flowers on a branch that can grow to 3 metres (9.8 feet), the largest flower cluster on the planet.
The endemic plant from Sumatra must grow five to 10 years before blooming for the first time. Its flowers not only emit the smell of a rotting corpse, but can warm up to human body temperature to attract carcass-eating insects.
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The blooming frequency of an individual plant is highly unpredictable, varying from a year to a decade, according to previous studies.
A corm in the Beijing garden started budding on July 6, according to the report. On Tuesday, two other corms were also blooming. The event has attracted a large number of spectators, some spending day and night watching the entire process, according to the garden.
Only about 100 titan arum bloomings have been documented around the world, with just seven previously occurring in China.
This is the first time the blooming of so many separate plants has taken place within such a short period in a greenhouse, according to botanists working in the garden.