HOW TO PREDICT THE BLOOMING OF THE GIANT CORPSE INFLORESCENCE Amorphophallus titanum (Becc.) Becc. ex Arcang
ABSTRACT: The giant corpse
inflorescence (Amorphophallus titanum) is native to Indonesia. It is one of the
flagships of The Center for Plant Conservation Bogor Botanic Gardens,
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to raise public awareness for saving
plants from extinction and caring the living environment. The blooming of the
giant inflorescence attracts many visitors. Therefore, one of the research
focuses of Amorphophallus titanum is how to predict the blooming-time in order
to inform visitors earlier. The results of this study can be used as the basic information
to predict the blooming of the inflorescences. Previous researchers had tried
to predict the blooming based on firstly, the differential diagnostics of an
inflorescence bud and leaf bud, and secondly, the growth pattern of the
flowering bud from one individual sample only; whereas, our results suggested
new findings. In this research, the prediction was examined from 2011-2012 on
five individual samples planted in Bogor Botanic Gardens. We suggested that (1)
the differential diagnostics of an inflorescence bud and leaf bud were not only
based on the early bud shapes but also the growth rate, and (2) our results
supported Lobin’s findings by providing a statistical formula for growth
pattern of the flowering bud.
Authir: Dian Latifah , Hary Wawangningrum, Sri Hartini 1 and Esti Munawaroh
Journal Code: jpbiologigg150012
