Amorphophallus titanum: The Corpse Flower

The Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science is pleased to present, for your viewing pleasure: photos of a celebrity among the plant community, the Amorphophallus titanum.

Amorphophallus titanum, more politely referred to as titan arum or the corpse flower, has gained its celebrity status by having one of the largest, rarest, and smelliest flowers in the world. These flowers can reach heights of 7-10 ft and a diameter of 5-6 ft. During the month of July 2010, Lois herself reached a height of almost 6 feet and produced quite a dramatic bloom.

Lois has now been returned to the HMNS greenhouses, where she will go through her dormant stage and hopefully bloom again one day (though exactly when is unpredictable). You can read about this plant's extraordinary growth on the HMNS blog.

Lois was pretty famous during her bloom! You can learn more about her int eh following stories:
CultureMap
KHOU
KTRK
KUHF
Houston Chronicle
KPRC Channel 2
Houston Press
Houston Grows
PlanetEye
Chron Video