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Saving giant
flowers: Using patterns of blooming in cultivated Titan Arums to promote in
situ conservation of wild populations in Sumatra.
Dr. Thomas C.
Gibson
ABSTRACT
Amorphophallus
titanum,
the Sumatran corpse flower or titan arum, produces the largest inflorescence in
the world. It is in steep decline as deforestation eliminates its rainforest
habitats in Sumatra and as collectors deplete populations of hornbills that
alone disperse its red berry-like seeds. To better understand this plant's
biology, I used records on cultivated titan arum plants to explore four
patterns: 1) the history of flowering; 2) flower sizes; 3) the phenology of
flowering in the northern and southern hemispheres; and 4) how inflorescence
and tuber sizes are related. These data suggest that the plant’s life history
in nature is adaptively tailored to local conditions. Tuber size and resource
limitation act as cues to trigger flowering. The results also suggest that the
growing numbers of plants in cultivation could produce sufficient seed and
financial support for large-scale in situ restoration in suitable
rainforest habitats in Sumatra. Professional and amateur botanists should work
with botanical gardens and arboreta to protect and restore wild populations of
the titan arum by sharing information, generating educational materials, and
using ex situ garden materials to promote in situ conservation.
Donating a fraction of proceeds from blooming events and sales of educational
materials could support a special fund to support conservation. Indonesian
botanists and institutions with expert local knowledge could make immediate use
of such funds to pursue an effective program to conserve and sustain this
remarkable plant.
KEYWORDS
Amorphophallus
titanum;
in situ conservation; maximum spadix size; flowering thresholds of
tubers.