The largest flower in the world

The enormous inflorescence represented in the engraving opposite belongs to a plant from the tropical region. It was photographed in Java, on a lawn in the wonderful botanical garden of Buitenzorg.

In fact, only tropical plants can provide flowers of this size, prodigious in their size and the speed of their development. These monster flowers appear one fine morning out of the ground; they reach their full development in 24, 48 or 72 hours and wither immediately afterwards.

The one in question here is produced by a large "Arum" called Amophorphalle, which is a plant related to the "Gouet" that grows in most hedges and old walls in France. The amophorphalle has an enormous tuber, twice the size of a man's head, full of food starch.

The extremely decorative leaves of this curious plant appear when the inflorescence has dried up. A. F.

Bogor, anciennement Pakuan Pajajaran (−1746) et Buitenzorg (1746–1942) en Indonésie