Corpse flower: Is the titan arum Kew's smelliest plant? | Dig Deeper S1 Ep4 | Kew

It smells like a dead body, produces its own heat, and has one of the largest flowers in the world: the titan arum is undeniably a unique species.

But growing one of the world’s smelliest flowers is no easy feat. Join Glasshouse Supervisor Tom Pickering as he introduces this remarkable plant, explains its ten-year life cycle, and explores why it smells the way it does.

We also take you behind the scenes into Kew’s tropical nursery, to meet the rest of the titan arums. With the species at risk of extinction in the wild, botanical gardens have an important role to play in preserving this giant misshapen marvel.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Let's Dig Deeper...
0:24 Meet Tom
0:30 Introduction to the titan arum
1:16 Generating heat
1:29 What does it smell like?
2:24 Common names
2:42 Is it carnivorous?
2:58 Where in the world?
3:13 Related plants
3:23 Under the ground
4:09 Leaf or inflorescence?
5:33 The flowers
7:28 Kew's work
7:40 Thanks for watching!

[anthonydavies]

What an extraordinary plant. Thanks for the brilliant insight into its biology and how you care for it. Keep up your vital work!