Amorphophallus | |
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Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is the Amorphophallus with the largest unbranched inflorescence | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Alismatales |
Family: | Araceae |
Subfamily: | Aroideae |
Tribe: | Thomsonieae |
Genus: | Amorphophallus Blume ex Decne. |
Type species | |
Amorphophallus campanulatus Decne.[1] | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Amorphophallus (from Ancient Greek amorphos, "without form, misshapen" + phallos, "penis", referring to the shape of the prominent spadix) is a large genus of some 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the Arum family (Araceae), native to Asia, Africa, Australia and various oceanic islands.[3][4] A few species are edible as "famine foods" after careful preparation to remove irritating chemicals.[5] The genus includes the Titan arum (A. titanum) of Indonesia, which has the largest inflorescence of any plant in the genus, and is also known as the 'corpse flower' for the pungent odour it produces during its flowering period, which can take up to seven years of growth before it occurs.[6]