It is considered the largest flower in the world – and this year it blooms just in time for Easter: The Titan Arum in the Ecological-Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth rose on Easter Sunday. The garden announced this on its Facebook page. The blossom could also be seen via a specially set up webcam.
The Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), which originates from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is the largest flower in the world, according to information on the University of Bayreuth’s website. It gives off a strong odor during its flowering period, which lasts about 20 hours, to attract insects for pollination. The smell is reminiscent of spoiled meat.
The Titan Arum consists of a huge underground tuber that regularly forms a single, large leaf. The brown-purple petals curl around a yellow-green stamen, resembling a pleated skirt.
The Bayreuth titan arum has bloomed for the sixth time since 2014. Normally it always takes a few years between two flowering phases. The botanical event has always attracted numerous visitors to the greenhouse in recent years. According to the Botanical Garden, it is extending its opening hours over Easter so that as many visitors as possible can see the flower.