Rare and giant flower, the “Titan Penis” attracts crowds in Belgium
A giant flower of Arum titan, aka Titan’s penis, at the national botanical garden of Meise, Belgium, May 22, 2024 AFP Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD
Crowds flock these days to the Meise botanical garden, north of Brussels, to admire a giant flower, among the rarest and most fragrant in the world, the “Titan Penis”.
Two meters high, the Arum titan owes its nickname to its phallic shape, mentioned in its scientific name, Amorphophallus titanum. It is native to the rainforest of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is considered threatened by deforestation.
Its other characteristic is its putrid smell, which in no way discourages visitors who are determined to admire it… Before its disappearance for several years.
The “corpse flower”, its other nickname, only reveals itself for a maximum of 72 hours, and you have to wait at least three years, and sometimes much longer, before seeing it again.
This smell, which is similar to that of “rubbish left too long in the sun”, has the function of attracting pollinating insects, which ensure its reproduction, Manon Van Hoye, spokesperson for the botanical garden, explained to AFP. .
A visitor takes a photo of a giant Arum titan flower, aka Titan’s Penis, at the National Botanical Garden in Meise, Belgium, May 22, 2024
AFP
Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD
“It’s splendid, I didn’t know it was that big,” exclaimed Carine Kurris, one of the many people who came specially to witness this flowering.
Manon Van Hoye considers this flowering “a miracle”. “The shape is architectural, I love the color, and I also love the story behind it, that it is in danger, that we are protecting it. I am always a little moved,” continues the spokesperson for the botanical garden.
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