Blooming of the Titan Arum: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Botany, June 2001

History of UW-Madison's Titan Arum

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Titan Arum was grown from seed collected by James Symon and Wilbert Hetterscheid in Sumatra in 1993. The photos below were supplied by Wilbert Hettersheid.

Photo of Sumatran villagers next to flower of Titan Arum

Sumatran villagers stand next to the fruiting stalk of a Titan Arum. This plant was located some 20 miles north of Sipirok, West Sumata Province, in cut-over rainforest, in the "backyard" of a small village. One of these berries yielded the seed from which UW-Madison's Titan plant was grown. The giant fruiting plant above was stripped of all its seeds, which were then packed and sent to several researchers who had requested a seed batch to study the growth of the Titan Arum. This great number of seed batches is the source of many flowering plants presently in the U.S.


Photo of Hetterschiled with Attenborough

Wilbert Hetterscheid, right, is shown here in Sumatra in 1993 next to David Attenborough, who starred in the BBC series "Private Life of Plants. Both Hetterscheid and Attenborough joined Jim Symon on this expedition to study Amorphophallus species in Indonesia. Seeds were dispersed to a number of U.S. botanists, including some to Mark Dimmitt from Arizona. Two seedlings were given to UW-Madison botany researcher Tom Gibson. (The plant in the above photo is Amorphophallus gigas, a close relative to A. titanum).


Photo of Hettershield and Titan Arum

Hetterscheid opens a Titan Arum flower in a Sumatran rainforest.

Photo of Hettershield and Symon

Hetterscheid, left, and Symon in Sumatra.


Photo of Hettershield and Titan Arum leaf

Hetterscheid stands next to a Titan Arum leaf.