An Amorphophallus titanum named Pete stands 1.5 meters tall inside a climate-controlled glasshouse at the Geelong Botanic Gardens in Victoria, Australia, detikcom reported.
Garden staff monitor the plant as it continues to grow by about five centimeters per day. The corm weight reached 10 kilograms in 2024 and increased to 17.7 kilograms by May 2026, according to staff member Lucy Griffiths.
“Jadi itu merupakan indikasi yang baik bagi kamu bahwa jumlah energi dalam umbi berpotensi menghasilkan bunga,” Griffiths told detikcom.
The pungent smell helps attract insect pollinators like beetles and flies.
When the dark red, blood-colored bloom finally opens, it stays active for only one to two days. Afterward, the plant withers and returns underground for up to a decade to store energy in its corm.
“Bunga ini memang sangat indah, tetapi baunya sangat mengerikan saat mekar,” Griffiths said.
Pete shares the glasshouse space with four other titan arum plants growing nearby. Two of those specimens remain dormant following their flowering cycle in 2024.
World Amorphophallus titanum expert Matt Coulter said that the species requires years of energy collection before producing a display. The city council of Greater Geelong anticipates visitor numbers to mirror the 2024 bloom, which drew numerous people to the gardens and online livestream viewers.
“Titan Arum (bunga bangkai) membutuhkan waktu bertahun-tahun untuk mengumpulkan energi yang cukup guna menghasilkan bunga yang spektakuler, sehingga setiap periode berbunga menjadi peristiwa yang benar-benar istimewa,” Coulter said.
The corm weight reached 17.7 kilograms in May 2026, up from 10 kilograms in 2024.
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