Why is the titan arum called the smelliest flower in the world?
The titan arum, also known as the "corpse flower" or "carrion arum." It is native to the tropical rainforest regions of Sumatra, Indonesia. The flower's diameter reaches 1.5 m, and its height is nearly 3 m. Because it has the smell of a rotting corpse, it is called the "smelliest flower in the world."
Titan arum
The titan arum flower, also known as the "corpse flower," has an even more vivid name: "carrion arum." This flower grows in the Sumatra archipelago, has a flowering age of about 150 years, and when fully grown is expected to reach about 1.8 m tall, making it the largest flower in the world. It has a rhizome similar to that of a potato. After the spathe opens, the red-purple flower will remain open for several days, and the corpse-like stench it emits will also increase sharply. When the flower withers, the plant once again enters a dormant period. The smell it emits, like dirty socks or a rotting corpse, is meant to attract flies and beetles that feed on carrion to come and pollinate it. It is extremely gorgeous, more beautiful than anything you can imagine, yet this strangely beautiful flower truly does grow on our planet, and it still exists in the world today.
Titan arum
The novel Ghost Blows Out the Light by Tianxia Bachang creates a fictional legend for it: its distant ancestor, the "corpse-fragrance arum," has long been extinct for a thousand years. This devil's flower, with its bewitching colors and eerie fragrance, creates trap after trap made of illusions, luring people to their deaths. In the legend, the "corpse-fragrance arum flower" is the evil spirit guarding King Solomon's treasure.
Titan arum
The soluble fiber in konjac has the function of promoting gastrointestinal motility and moistening the intestines to relieve constipation. It can quickly expel toxic substances from the intestines, thereby effectively preventing constipation, and has an auxiliary therapeutic effect on colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and venous tumors. In addition, it also has the effect of reducing cholesterol accumulation in the body, which is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis. Konjac is also a unique food additive. For example, adding a small amount of konjac powder to food can both increase nutrition and improve food quality.
Titan arum
A group of researchers wrote in the journal Science on January 18, 2007, that the corpse flower discovered in a scientific expedition in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra in 1818 originated from an ancient plant family that was originally characterized by small flowers. In fact, many plants in the same family produce flowers only a few millimeters wide.
Researchers say that this group of plants, called Euphorbiaceae, also includes poinsettias, Irish bells, and rubber trees, as well as crops such as castor beans and cassava.
The corpse flower has many bizarre characteristics, and for a long time scientists have been trying to figure out exactly which plant family it belongs to. The corpse flower is a parasitic plant. It steals nutrients from other plants and tricks insects into pollinating it.