Amorphophallus titanum September 2, 1999 Craig M. Allen, Conservatory Manager Waiting for the bloom

Waiting for the full bloom of Amorphophallus titanum

Craig M. Allen, Conservatory Manager (1999) and grower of Amorphophallus titanum, camps out at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in anticipation of the imminent opening. The decision to keep watch in Fairchild resulted from his many nocturnal trips during last year's bloom. The sibling of this plant made a sudden move to open quite late at night and Allen does not want to miss a moment of the drama of this rare bloom.

The giant plant measures 6 feet 1/4 inch and for three days grew 5 inches a day to reach its current height. Just 14 days ago the plant measured a mere 30 1/2 inches.

Photo: Suzanne Kores