Indonesian @ Chicago, Midwest Region dan sekitarnya: AUG 2015 Titan Arum @ Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden's first flowering titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), officially named Spike, is now on display in the Semitropical Greenhouse of the Garden’s Regenstein Center during regular summer hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily.

The spindle-like bloom is expected to reach its height of between 4 and 8 feet. NOTE: The exact timing of peak flowering is unpredictable. Extended viewing hours during the peak bloom time will allow visitors to experience the extreme sights—and smells—of the plant in person. On the evening the titan arum reaches the peak of bloom, the Garden will remain open to the public until 2 a.m.

The regular parking fee will be waived after 9 p.m., but visitors will be restricted to visiting the Semitropical Greenhouse only. No other amenities will be accessible.

Update on Spike on Sunday, 30 August 2015
Spike will bloom—another day.
We are humbled and grateful to all who have been cheering Spike on, watching for bloom on the webcam, and visiting us daily. Spike has thoroughly captivated and amazed our staff and all of you, our Garden friends

August 29 update: Over the last few weeks, more than 50,000 people have visited Spike, the Garden’s rare and unpredictable titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum). The plant has piqued their interest and curiosity about the natural world and exotic plants. We are humbled and grateful to all who have been cheering Spike on, watching for bloom on the webcam, and visiting us daily. Spike has thoroughly captivated and amazed our staff and all of you, our Garden friends.

On Monday, August 24, the plant reached its full height of 68 inches and we expected to see its spathe open and unleash a terrible stench two to four days later. As any gardener knows, plants do not always behave as we would expect. We patiently waited for Spike to open, but given the number of days that have passed and signs that the spadix is aging, we have determined that the plant does not have the energy to open by itself.

Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist; Patrick Herendeen, Ph.D., senior director, Systematics and Evolutionary Biology; and Shannon Still, Ph.D., conservation scientist, will remove the spathe, cutting around the base just above where it attaches to the stalk of the plant. At that time, we will determine if the male flowers are functional. If they have produced pollen, we will bank it to pollinate other plants.

Regardless of whether or not we are able to collect pollen, we will replant the corm to grow more foliage, and in three to five years, it will produce another flower. Spike will live to bloom another day. At this time, the Garden has eight additional titan arum plants that we are watching carefully for bloom.

Native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, the titan arum rarely blooms. Very little research exists about the titan arum. Garden conservation scientists will look to find answers about why Spike did not perform as expected. The Garden will make this information available to other botanic gardens and conservation groups interested in learning more about the titan arum.

- See more at: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/titan_arum_corpse_flower#sthash.IhDqn5hW.dpuf