Chapter 1
The chemistry of stinky
Chapter 2
The ultimate waiting game
Chapter 3
Tricks, traps, and tiny helpers
Chapter 4
From Sumatra to the spotlight
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life of the world's stinkiest flower
Ch 2 · The ultimate waiting game
futura Titan Arum Bloom Cycle
Waiting ten long years just to stand in the sun, But in forty-eight hours my whole season is done.
futura After years of dormancy, the emerging bud grows fifteen centimeters daily, shrinking its underground corm by consuming all
Fun Fact
Heavy lifting: A single corpse flower corm can weigh more than an adult giant panda, storing massive amounts of starch.
Glossary
dormancy (noun)
A state of temporary metabolic inactivity or minimal activity in an organism. The titan arum remains in this inactive state for years before blooming for just two days.
A state of temporary metabolic inactivity or minimal activity in an organism. The titan arum remains in this inactive state for years before blooming for just two days.
Quiz
What happens to the underground corm after the energy-intensive blooming process of the corpse flower?
Quiz
What is the name of the massive underground tuber that stores the corpse flower's energy?
Quiz
How tall can the single, tree-like leaf of the corpse flower grow during its vegetative phase?