Tallest bloom

The tallest blooms are those produced by the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), native to western Sumatra in Indonesia, with an inflorescence (cluster of flowers on a stem) that can exceed 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in height. The tallest example on record was grown by Louis Ricciardiello (USA) measuring 3.1 m (10 ft 2.25 in) tall on 18 June 2010, when it was on display at Winnipesaukee Orchids in Gilford, New Hampshire, USA.

The titan arum, also known as the corpse flower owing to its pungent odour of rotting flesh used to attract pollinating flies, was measured from the tip of the bloom (spadix) to the top of the tuber/corm.

This species also boasts the largest corms (underground stems that serve as a storage organ utilized by some plants to survive adverse conditions). In titan arums, the corm commonly weighs around 50 kg (110 lb). However, the heaviest confirmed example, at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in Scotland, UK, when weighed in 2010 was found to be 153.9 kg (339 lb 4.7 oz).