Titan Arum

giant plant · stink flower · rainforest · Indonesia

Biggest flower ever. The titan arum produces an inflorescence (the flowering part) that can grow taller than a grown-up and wider than a car tire. It's the largest flower by volume in the entire world, which makes it a celebrity in the plant kingdom.

Smells like rotten meat. When it blooms, the flower releases a smell like dead animals. This stench isn't a bug, it's a feature. The bad smell attracts insects that normally feed on rotting meat, and those insects accidentally pollinate the flower.

Giant single leaf. Between blooms, the titan arum grows one massive branching leaf that looks like a little tree. This huge leaf feeds energy into an enormous underground tuber, which is basically a storage tank that helps the plant survive and eventually make that giant flower.

Only grows in Sumatra. The titan arum is endemic to the rainforests of Sumatra in Indonesia, which means it naturally grows nowhere else on Earth. Scientists have to work hard to keep it alive in botanical gardens around the world.

Blooms rarely. The titan arum only flowers occasionally and unpredictably, sometimes going years between blooms. When it finally does bloom, botanists and plant lovers get excited because they know it won't happen again for a while.