Largest Flower Looks Like a Penis and Smells Like Death

Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) in bloom at the United States Botanic Garden Conservatory on November 20, 2005. At the time this picture was taken, it measured 52.5" (130.5 cm) in height. From Wikimedia Commons.

The plant with the fantastic name of Amorphophallus titanum (sound it out and try not to giggle) has a rather large flower.  Technically this plant, also known as the Titan Arum, holds the record not for a single flower but rather a group of flowers (inflorescence) that is not branched.  The branched record goes to the tallpot palm.  The Titan Arum’s inflorescence can reach a staggering 10 feet in height.  And if a 10 foot flower is not foreboding enough the flower also smells like a decomposing animal. Below is a time lapse video showing the  brief period of blossoming last week at Bonn University’s Botanical Gardens.