The world’s largest flower is Amorphophallus titanum, a rare species, native to Sumatra. The flowers may exceed 3 m in height and 1m diameter.
Photo shows two young plants in December 2019, each with two leaves; the upper leaf twice as tall as the lower leaf
I managed to obtain two seedlings and had them planted in the Secret Garden on the Rooftop of the 1 Utama Shopping Mall.
The plants are reported to produce one leaf a year, each leaf bigger
than the previous one. The final leaf is the largest, with a stalk
that looks like a stout tree trunk, reaching 6 m (20 ft) tall and carrying a single massive leaf that is spread out to 5 m (20 ft) across,and divided into many leaflets, to mimic a
tree crown. This incredible 'one-leaf tree' eventually dies down and disappears. After a few months, an enormous flower will appear out of the ground. It is said to
take 7 to 10 years for a plant to get big enough to flower. This description is based on plants
grown in greenhouses under artificial conditions in UK or US. They may behave differently under open tropical conditions.
I got my plants when they were barely 15 cm (6 inches) tall, in July 2019
and planted then under full sun. Each plant came with one leaf. The next leaf appeared in October and the third
in December: three leaf cycles in 6 months. Already it is clear that they produce more than one leaf a year. I expect them to flower much earlier
than 10 years. Maybe two years?
The Secret Garden is open to the public on Saturdays,
Sundays and Public Holidays. Those who are interested can now observe these
plants at close quarters.
