邂逅（屍花）巨花魔芋

對這樣的花所知有限，偶爾從電郵傳遞中見識過圖片，而此次能在夏威夷 Foster Botanic Garden 的蘭花中心見到三個不同的開花階段實在難得。

除了園內的圖表解說，並抄錄網路資訊備忘。

• The corpse flower begins as a gigantic leaf measuring 12 feet high and 10 feet wide. The solitary leaf emerges from an enormous corm that can reach 170 pounds. After about a year, the leaf dies back and the plant goes dormant for several months. A new leaf emerges when the plant breaks dormancy. Occasionally, instead of a leaf, a flower stalk will emerge from the corm. This cycle is erratic and does not seem to follow a pattern.

            The bloom of the corpse flower is actually a compound flowering stalk called an inflorescent.   The initial opening of the spathe (the maroon, flowerlike outer skirt) indicates that the actual blooms, which are located at the base of the flower stalk, are nearing maturity. When the spathe drops off, orange fruits are revealed.

巨花魔芋，（學名：Amorphophallus titanum），又名屍花，是天南星巨花魔芋科魔芋屬植物。

巨花魔芋具有世界上最大的不分支花序；世界上最大的分枝花序，則是貝葉棕的花序；世界上最大的花則為大花草的花。巨花魔芋的印尼文名稱叫做「bunga bangkai」，「bunga」意為「花」，「bangkai」意為「屍體」，巨花魔芋在開花的時候會散發一股類似屍臭的味道，因此又有「屍花」的別名。在印尼，同樣的名稱也用來稱呼大花草，因為大花草開花時也會散發類似的氣味。大花草和巨花魔芋一樣，原生地都為印尼的蘇門答臘熱帶雨林。

巨花魔芋的花序可以高達三米以上。花序與斑葉疆南星及馬蹄蓮等同科植物一樣，都為佛焰花序，單性花，著生在肉質的花序軸上，花序外面由一片類似花瓣的佛焰苞所包圍住。雄花和雌花生長在同一花序上，雌花會先開花，經過一二天後，雄花才會開花。同一植株的雌花和雄花不在同一時間一起開花，是為了防止自花授粉。花序會散發出類似腐肉的味道，這種味道會吸引以腐肉為食的甲蟲及肉蠅科的蠅類來替它授粉^[1]。

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