In the next few weeks, the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) will bloom again at the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden. The inflorescence of this plant can be seen only every few years.

The exact date and time of full bloom are not yet known. The titan arum blooms extremely rarely, so such an event in the botanical garden often becomes an attraction that attracts crowds of tourists.

The unique plant can be viewed in the tropical greenhouse at the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden. The titan arum bloom will also be available online – the Garden will be preparing a special broadcast for this occasion.

This is the second such event in Poland and the second time it has happened at the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden – the giant arum previously bloomed here in 2021.

This unique plant arrived at the garden by accident – it was donated by a resident who was no longer able to care of it. It acclimated well to new conditions, producing a single leaf in rotation for several years, and after it died, it rested in a large pot placed in the aisle between the greenhouses.

A Monster Plant

The titan arum plant originates from the humid, tropical forests of Sumatra and belongs to the Araceae family. In its natural habitat, its inflorescence can grow to almost 3 meters in height and over 1.5 meters in width. Both the leaf and the flower grow from a huge tuber hidden underground, which can weigh up to several dozen kilograms. In that tuber the plant stores the nutrients needed to produce the leaf.

The intense fragrance emitted by the flower spreads far and wide to attract pollinators as quickly as possible – essential, as flowering lasts only a few days.