The corpse blossom is one of the biggest and most unusual flowers in the world. It has a strong odor and only blooms for a brief period. When in full bloom, the flower gives out a stench somewhat unlike that of rotting flesh or, more appropriately, a dead body. The corpse flower can only be found in western Sumatra, where it is native, where it occurs in the rainforests above limestone hills. In case you didn’t learn to read a map in high school, the island of Sumatra is located off the coast of western Indonesia in southeastern Asia. It is close to both New Guinea and Borneo. Unfortunately, in the previous 35 years, about half of Sumatra’s tropical rainforest has been cleared, threatening the island’s rich biodiversity. The pollution in Singapore and Malaysia has been blamed for this by several experts. Like the calla lily, it belongs to the lily family of flowers.
- Carrion-eating insects and flesh flies, which are responsible for pollinating the corpse flower, are attracted to the odor of the florist Kuala Lumpur bloom because they like the taste of decaying flesh. The crimson hue and rough texture of the corpse flower make it seem like a cut of flesh.
- Some have likened the odor to that of rotting fish, filthy diapers, stale laundry, or even day-old roadkill, which is a troubling thought for those who have experienced it. The powerful stench the plant emits has a rationale behind it. To secure the survival of the species, corpse flowers are designed to smell, look, and feel a certain way.
- The principal pollinators of these flowers are carnivorous insects like dung beetles, meat flies, and others. Termites and other insects like them feed mostly on decomposing animal matter.
- The corpse flower is designed to look and smell like a dead animal to attract certain types of insects.
- For further deception, corpse flowers may reach temperatures of 98 degrees F (36.7 degrees Celsius). The inflorescence of the corpse flower, which consists of a cluster of blooms, may grow to a staggering height of over 10 feet.
The stem of the leaf has a shady green color, and its tip divides into three groups, each of which bears several leaflets. The maximum height and width of the leaf structure are respectively 20 and 16 feet. When one leaf falls off, another one sprouts in its place the next year. The plant goes into dormancy for around four months when the corm (also called a flowering stem) has accumulated enough energy. The first Ipoh flower delivery bloom of a corpse flower takes seven to ten years of vegetative development in a greenhouse. Its subsequent flowering cycles may differ greatly from the first. However, some plants may only need two or three years to produce flowers. Multiple blooms within a single year have also been seen and recorded. The flower blooms anywhere from late afternoon to late evening and stays out all night. The average lifespan of a corpse flower is 12 hours, however, some can stay fresh for up to 48 hours.
