Newswise — A second Titan Arum (Titan #3), known as the Corpse Flower, housed in the Western Illinois University Botany Greenhouse has begun the blooming process. The greenhouse's first Titan Arum (Titan #1) bloomed May 2. A live videostream for Titan #3 has been set up at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wiu-corpse-flower (Editor's Note: The videostream connection may sometimes be affected by humidity levels. If the video does not appear, please try again later).
For the most up-to-date information on the Titan Arum's blooming progress, visit Greenhouse Gardener II Jeff Hillyer's blog at http://wiubotanygreenhouse.blogspot.com
There are currently four Titan Arums growing in the greenhouse. According to Hillyer, another Titan, WIU Titan #2, is also coming out of dormancy; however, it is too early to determine if it will be a leaf or a bloom. Hillyer added that the second Titan (WIU Titan #3) appears to be even larger than the first Titan that bloomed last month.
Time-lapse photographs are also being taken and once the flower blooms, a time-lapse video will be posted on Western's YouTube channel. The greenhouse is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The greenhouse will be open from 1 -6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, June 26-27, and special hours will be held when the rare bloom occurs.
Native to the equatorial rainforests of central Sumatra in western Indonesia, the WIU Titans were initially acquired as seeds from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2002. Hillyer explained that one of Wisconsin's Titans, Big Bucky, was the ovule donor and the pollen donor was Mr. Magnificent from the Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota, FL. The seeds for both of these plants were collected in 1993 by James Symon in Sumatra while filming for Sir David Attenborough's BBC documentary "The Private Life Of Plants." The WIU plants are among the first generation of plants cultivated in the U.S.
The initial news release about the first flower can be found at http://www.wiu.edu/newsrelease.sphp?release_id=8138, while videos can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nSvKe7dxU4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiIcQexeVl4.
Photos of Titan #1 can be found at WIU's Visual Production Center's online photo database at http://tinyurl.com/3ywvxpk or http://photos.wiu.edu/lightbox - Click on "Academics" folder; College of Arts & Sciences; Biological Sciences; Titan flower).
For more information, contact the WIU Botany Greenhouse at (309) 298-1004 or e-mail Hillyer at [email protected].
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