Titan Arum

A note from Al & Val. Why compare this blog to a foul-smelling, rarely blooming, unique, living thing of beauty?….

First, a bit more about Titan Arum…

“Titan arum is one of the smelliest plants on Earth.

Nicknamed the corpse flower, it has an incredibly foul smell of rotten flesh when in bloom.

This nauseating odour is produced to attract pollinators that love to feed and breed on flesh.

Titan arum only grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, but it is endangered in the wild due to deforestation and land degradation.

This one lives in Kew Gardens, and plays a huge role in conserving this precious plant species.

Titan arum’s unpredictable and rare blooms attract thousands of visitors hoping to experience the magnificent sight and disgusting stench.”

• Titan arum has the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence (flowering structure) that can reach 3m tall.

• When titan arum bloomed for the second time at Kew in 1926, it attracted such big crowds that the police were called to control them.

• When in bloom, titan arum’s flower spike (spadix) produces heat. This helps the smell travel and can attract pollinators from up to half a mile away.

• Titan arum’s inflorescence has a dark red to purple interior which resembles a piece of meat and adds to the allure for flesh-loving pollinators.

• Titan arum only emits its foul odour for a single evening when in bloom.

So….welcome to our Titan Arum Blog!…

It’s been a log time since we spread our wings and travelled very far. Stuff just kept getting in the way - Covid, Cancer, Deaths in the Family….all sorts of reasons not to be cheerful, reasons to stay locked down, confined to barracks.

Which of course was also incredibly inconvenient. We’re retired now, with few ties, time on our hands in one way, but, like everyone, time running out too.

We had so many plans! Like everyone else of course. Like us all, most of our avenues of pleasure were sealed off.

But the Good News is, we’re now ready to rock again!

So, like a beautiful, unpredictable, extremely rare and impressive organism, we’re about to bloom again. Just without the nauseating, foul odour.

However, like Titan Arum, we hope to attract a few followers, interested in our progress.

If you’re receiving this via email, you may have already bought a ticket. Just stick around for the ride!

If you’re seeing this on Facebook or somewhere else, drop us a PM with your email and we’ll hitch you up to our blog.

Let’s all enjoy the sweet smell of freedom together!

Love and best

Val & Al

Xx