Corpse flowers' survival at risk due to spotty recordkeeping

A Corpse Flower Can Grow Over 12 Feet (3.7 Meters) Tall

Also known as titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum, the corpse flower is known for its rare blooms. This unique plant sometimes takes seven to 10 years before reaching full bloom. When it finally does, plant enthusiasts rush to see this extraordinary occurrence up close.

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

Plant biologists examined records for nearly 1,200 individual corpse flower plants from 111 institutions around the world. The data and records were severely lacking and not standardized. Without complete information, conservationists were unable to make informed decisions about breeding their plants. Out of the plants studied, 24% were clones and 27% were offspring from closely related individuals. Low genetic diversity could lead to further en…

Corpse flowers' survival at risk due to spotty recordkeeping

Commonly called the "corpse flower," Amorphophallus titanum is endangered for many reasons, including habitat destruction, climate change and encroachment from invasive species.

Iconic "rotting flesh" scented corpse flower in grave danger of dying out

You don't often find crowds flocking to take in the pungent scent of rotting flesh, yet that's just what happens when a corpse flower blooms at a public garden. But this iconic endangered plant is now facing a new threat – our aversion to paperwork.

With only 162 wild giant arums – or penis plants – left, the future of this plant doesn’t look very bright. Especially now that new research shows that penis plants in botanical gardens aren’t doing so well either, due to sloppy bookkeeping. American researchers write this in the journal Annals of […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .