Why the fuss? The Titan arum, with the titillating Latin name Amorphophallus titanum, is native to Sumatra and related to the common philodendron. It also happens to bloom only a few times in its 40-year life span. Just 15 flowerings have been recorded in U.S. collections in the last 60 years.
When Titan does bloom, it splurges big time. The flower--more correctly an inflorescence called a spadix containing many tiny male and female flowers--can be a whopping 10 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide, counting surrounding structures. This is no sweet rose fit for a giant vase, though; the Titan is also called the corpse flower, for good reason. When ready, it emits an odor akin to dead fish, which attracts pollinators like carrion beetles and flesh flies.
Wisconsin grew its Titan from seed collected in 1993, on the same expedition that spawned a segment in David Attenborough's TV series, ...
