Cinco de Mayo: Ted the Titan BLOOMS!
The giant inflorescence has now wilted, and the plant is entering into a phase of rest. Ted is not expected to bloom again until 2011.
SEE THE PHOTOS OF TED
Just after Ted bloomed, a new titan dubbed "Phyllis" bloomed for the very first time. Phyllis is the offspring (via propagule) of Tabatha, which died in 2004.
SEE THE PHOTOS OF PHYLLIS
Home of the Titans
Amorphophallus titanum
Amorphophallus titanum, or the titan arum, was discovered by the Italian botanist
Odoardo Beccari in 1878 on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
A specimen was shipped to the Royal Botanical Gardens in
England, where the plant was displayed and bloomed for the
first time in cultivation in 1889. It may take 15 years for the
titan arum to become large enough to bloom, and it is especially
rare to see in cultivation. These floral giants have been coaxed
into flower only about 100 times around the world, including
four times here at the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory.
It's not a flower — it's a flower holder!
The frilly “petal” of the titan arum is a funnel-shaped leaf called a spathe. The spike that comes up from the center of the spathe is known as a spadix. This spadix produces several hundred tiny flowers, both male and female, way down near the narrow base where it joins the spathe. For the first several hours after the spathe opens up, the spadix puts out the strong scent of a dead animal that attracts flies and carrion beetles for pollination. This is the time when the female flowers are ready to receive pollen. The following day, the odor starts to fade as the female flowers become less receptive, and the male flowers begin to ripen with pollen. This difference in timing between the two types of flowers helps prevent self-pollination, and promotes cross pollination with other titan arums. Flowering of the plant generally occurs every other year, alternating with the production of a single gigantic leaf.
life cycle of the Amorphophallus titanum
History of the Titans at UC Davis
1995 — A donation of Amorphophallus titanum seed is received
2003 — “Ted the Titan” blooms for the first time
2004 — “Tabatha the Titan” blooms
2005 — “Ted the Titan” blooms for the second time
(exhibited at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco)
2007 — “Ted the Titan” blooms for the third time
2009 — “Ted the Titan” blooms for the fourth time
2009 — “Phyllis the Titan” blooms for the first time
Founded in 1959, the 3,600 square-foot Botanical Conservatory complex north of Storer Hall serves the University and public communities as an educational facility, research resource and genetic diversity preserve. It houses over 3,000 plant species in more than 150 families, including examples from most of the world's climatic regions.
