Blooming “Corpse Flower” in Copenhagen Attracts Thousands of Viewers

Copenhagen, 6 Sya’ban 1437/03 June 2016 (MINA) – Thousands of visitors have flocked to the Botanical Garden of Copenhagen over the past few days to have a glimpse of the blooming Amorphophallus Titanum, also known as “corpse flower” and considered one of the largest flowers in the world, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.

The flower, at a height of about two metres, started to bloom on Tuesday and the bloom is expected to last only a few days.

Amorphophallus Titanum, known as the titan arum, is native to the rain forests of Indonesia and it can lay dormant for as long as 15 years.

Due to its odor, which is like the smell of a rotting animal, the titan arum is characterized as a carrion flower, and is also known as the corpse flower, or corpse plant (Indonesian: bunga bangkai – bunga means flower, while bangkai can be translated as corpse, cadaver, or carrion).

For the same reason, the title corpse flower is also attributed to the genus Rafflesia which, like the titan arum, grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)