Titan Arum – Bunga Tertinggi Di Dunia

Titan arum baru mulai mekar

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Terakhir diupdate: 9 Januari 2017

Hutan tropis provinsi Bengkulu juga merupakan suaka bagi Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) bunga paling tinggi di dunia dan mungkin paling berbau busuk, yang dikenal oleh penduduk setempat sebagai bunga Kibut atau bunga Bangkai (bhs. Inggris carrion flower) karena baunya yang khas seperti bau bangkai hewan. Titan arum merupakan tumbuhan tropis asli Sumatera. Tumbuhan ini pertama kali ditemukan oleh seorang ahli botani asal Italia Odoardo Beccari di pulau Sumatera – Indonesia pada tahun 1878. Saat ini, tumbuhan ini masuk ke dalam daftar ‘rentan’ oleh Persatuan Konservasi Alam Internasional atau the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Nama Titan arum pertama kali diketahui dipakai oleh seorang penyiar dan naturalis asal Inggris Sir David Attenborough untuk menunjukan tanaman tropis raksasa ini saat proses pengambilan gambar the Private Life of Plants series untuk tanyangan serial TV BBC pada tahun 1993. Attenborough merasa jika selalu menggunakan nama Latin Amorphophallus titanium (arti: penis besar yang cacat) untuk tumbuhan ini pada tanyangan serial TV BBC yang popular akan menjadi tidak pantas di mana para pemirsa bisa merasa tidak nyaman atau bahkan mungkin tersinggung oleh nama ilmiah tumbuhan tersebut.

Titan arum atau Kibut mengeluarkan bau bangkai

Titan arum yang memiliki bentuk seperti bunga bakung, atau yang juga dikenal dengan sebutan bunga Kibut merupakan tumbuhan yang sangat langka dan unik. Tumbuhan ini biasanya tumbuh di hutan tropis primer yang belum mengalami gangguan ekologis yang signifikan dan tumbuhan ini memerlukan waktu pertumbuhan vegetatif selama 7 – 10 tahun sebelum mekar untuk pertama kali. Bunga Titan arum berwarna jerau/merah darah, memiliki benang sari besar berwarna kuning yang menonjol keluar dari intinya, saat Titan arum mekar bunga spektakuler berbentuk pancang ini bisa setinggi lebih dari 2 meter (6,5 kaki). Titan arum mengeluarkan bau yang sangat busuk karena saat bunga terbuka semua, tumbuhan ini menjadi panas dan memancarkan aroma busuk yang menarik bagi serangga penyerbuk. Titan arum mekar hanya sekitar 2 atau 3 hari sebelum tumbang. 

Titan arum dapat ditemukan di beberapa kawasan di dalam hutan hujan provinsi Bengkulu, biasanya di kabupaten Kepahiang (60 km atau 37 mil dari kota Bengkulu) dan di Taba Penanjung (45 km atau 28 mil dari kota Bengkulu) di lereng-lereng Pegunungan Bukit Barisan yang berada di ketinggian 120 – 365 meter (394 – 1.194 kaki) di atas permukaan laut, kedua kawasan ini merupakan kawasan yang paling mudah diakses dekat dengan jalan utama setengah perjalanan antara Bengkulu dan Curup. Saat ini Titan arum merupakan salah satu lambang flora Bengkulu.

Klasifikasi ilmiah                                                      Click here for the English version of this post

Kerajaan: Plantae

Ordo: Alismatales

Famili: Araceae

Subfamili: Aroideae

Genus: Amorphophallus

Spesies: A. titanium

Nama ilmiah: Amorphophallus titanium

Lebih non-formal tumbuhan ini juga disebut Titan arum, Kibut, atau bunga bangkai.

Fakta-fakta menarik tentang Titan arum

Titan arum - bunga tertinggi di dunia

• Saat bunga terbuka penuh, Titan arum mengeluarkan bau bangkai yang sangat menyengat untuk menarik serangga penyerbuk seperti kumbang pemakan bangkai dan lalat daging (Sarcophaga).
• Tumbuhan ini jarang mekar di dalam area kultivasi namun Pak Holidin, seorang hortikulturis, telah memiliki tingkat keberhasilan yang luar biasa dalam membudidayakan beberapa Titan arum untuk diperlihatkan di desa Tebat Monok, kabupaten Kepahiang, Indonesia.
• Titan arum tumbuh dari umbi bawah tanah yang dapat memiliki berat hingga 70 kg (150 pon) dan umbi ini mampu tetap tidur/hibernasi selama 1 hingga 3 tahun.
• Umbi Titan arum menghasilkan daun dan bunga di waktu yang berbeda.
• Nama ilmiah Amorphophallus titanum (dari kata Yunani Kuno amorphos + phallos, dan titan) yang artinya “penis besar yang cacat” yang mana dapat membuat sebagian orang merasa tidak nyaman atau bahkan tersinggung dengan nama ilmiah tumbuhan tersebut. Nama umumnya dalam bahasa Indonesia, bunga bangkai, karena baunya yang mengingatkan orang dengan bau bangkai. 

Referensi: 

www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Titan_arum#intro

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphophallus_titanum

Click here for the English version of this post

Foto-foto Titan arum 

Bunga Titan arum berwarna jerau ungu, memiliki benang sari besar berwarna kuning
yang menonjol keluar dari intinya

Perlu waktu 7 - 10 tahun untuk tumbuh sebelum mekar pertama kali 

Melihat Titan arum di desa Tebat Monok - kabupaten Kepahiang

Tunas bunga kibut/Titan arum

Titan arum bisa mencapai tinggi lebih dari 2 m (6,5 kaki)

Titan arum mekar, Tebat Monok - Kepahiang 2 Jan 2017

Lokasi pengambilan foto Tebat Monok, Kepahiang - Indonesia

Photos by: Adriansyah Putera, Sirli Adriansyah & Kaneko Kenji

The Differences Between Rafflesia Arnoldii And Carrion Flower

Rafflesia arnoldii

Last updated: May 8, 2017

Rafflesia arnoldii and Carrion flowers (Amorphophallus titanium) are two different types of plants. Although by the second type of plant is sometimes considered the same even mixed up. I myself had heard of a teacher told the students that the Carrion flower is Rafflesia. 

Indeed Rafflesia and carrion flowers have the same size (giant) and smelled a foul odor. But between Rafflesia and carrion flowers (Amorphophallus titanium) have differences in biological classification, shape, color, way of life, and the life cycle. 

Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic plants flower. The Rafflesia arnoldii was discovered by a British Lieutenant named Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who had been appointed the Governor of Bencoolen Province (currently known as Bengkulu) and the British botanist Dr. Joseph Arnold when they arrived in Lubuk Tapi – South Bengkulu in May of 1818. The names of the two men - Raffles and Arnold - were used to give the plant its botanical or scientific name. Rafflesia arnoldii is now the official symbol of Bengkulu province. The Rafflesia contains approximately 27 species (including four incompletely as recognized by Meijer 1997), all species can be found in Southeast Asia, in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. This plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. 

Rafflesia arnoldii can reach a diameter of about 1 meter

Rafflesia is endoparasites on Tetra stigma vines of the genus (family Vitaceae), spreading haustorium similar roots in the vines network. In some species, such as Rafflesia arnoldii, the flower diameter may be more than 100 cm, and weighing up to 10 kg. Even the smallest species, the Rafflesia manillana, flower diameter is 20 cm. Rafflesia is much known to the public is kind of Rafflesia Arnoldii. Type of forest grows only in southern Sumatra, especially Bengkulu. 

The main characteristic that distinguishes corpse flower Rafflesia with the laity is widened shape (not high) and red. When in bloom, the flowers can reach a diameter of about 1 meter and 50 cm tall. Rafflesia flowers do not have roots, stems, and leaves. The flowers have 5 crowns. At the base there is a barrel-shaped flower stamens or pistils, depending on the sex of flowers. This flower growth period takes up to 9 months, but the flowering period of only 5-7 days. After that Rafflesia will wither and die. Until now Rafflesia has never successfully bred outside their natural habitat. Rafflesia requires primary forest habitat to survive. 

Bit of information, as long as 200-year-old plants of the genus Rafflesiaceae difficult to classify due to the characteristics of the body that are not public. Based on DNA research by botanists at Harvard University recently, Rafflesia put in the family Euphorbiaceae, a family with rubber trees and cassava. But it is still not well publicized. 

The bud of Rafflesia arnoldii

Several species of Rafflesia in Indonesia; Rafflesia arnoldii (endemic in West Sumatra, Bengkulu and Aceh), R. borneensis (Borneo), R. cilliata (East Kalimantan), R. horsfilldii (Java), R. patma (Nusa Kambangan and Pangandaran), R. rochussenii (West Java), and R. contleyi (eastern Sumatra). 

Scientific classification: 

Kingdom: Plantae 

Division: Magnoliophyta 

Class: Magnoliopsida 

Order: Malpighiales 

Family: Rafflesiaceae

Genus: Rafflesia

Carrion Flower

Besides Rafflesia, another giant flower known to the public is Kibut or Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanium) also known as the Carrion flower. This type of endemic grows in the forests of Sumatra - Indonesia.

Titan Arum is not in bloom

The Carrion flower Titan arum is cream-colored on the outside and on the towering. Overview current form looks like a flower blooming trumpet. When Rafflesia just wide, the Carrion flower grows tall. Corpse flower Amorphophallus titanium species can reach about 3 - 4 m.

In addition, the Carrion flower is monoecious plants and protogini, where the female flowers receptive first, then followed by ripe male flowers, as a mechanism to prevent self-pollination. The stench issued by the flowers, like the Rafflesia, serves to attract beetles and flies pollinators for the flowers. After the flowering period (approximately 7 days) pass, the corpse flower will wither. And going back through the cycle, returning to the vegetative phase, which will grow new trees in the former corpse flower bulbs.

If fertilization occurs during the flowering period, it will form a red colored fruit with seeds on the former base of the flower. These seeds can be planted a tree in the vegetative phase. These seeds are now cultivated. 

Taken from: http://touchthenature.com/the-differences-between-rafflesia-arnoldii-and-carrion-flower/

Titan Arum - the world's tallest flower

Let’s help each other!

Let’s make this post available in various languages! Translating this post can help more readers in your language to understand this post. If you would like to translate this post into your language or if you need help to translate some of your posts into Indonesian, please send me an email to kurt_reyhans@yahoo.com

Photos by: Adriansyah Putera & Peter Kimball

Photographed in Taba Penanjung and Tebat Monok, Bengkulu province - Indonesia. 

Natural Beauty of Bukit Daun

Bukit Daun at sunset

Last updated: January 21st 2017

Seeing Rafflesia arnoldii

       Another area of awesome natural beauty in Bengkulu province, Bukit Daun is a nature conservation surrounded by mountains on all sides and rich with traditional Rejang culture. It is home to endangered species such as, honey bear, Rafflesia arnoldii, the world’s largest flower, and Amorphophallus titanium (locally known as bunga Kibut), the world’s tallest flower. Many kinds of orchid could be found here, too. It is at 800-900 m above sea level, the best way to explore the village is on foot. The air is cool and clean, and the locals are hospitable.

Besides natural beauty, Bukit Daun also offers some great do-it-yourself trekking opportunities where you can explore the fresh and clean outdoors and meet hospitable locals, and stunning sunrises. There is a small Japanese WWII bunker which is constructed of rebar-enforced cement and stone in Bukit Daun. You could also day-trip here for some hiking through forests/coffee plantations and a local lunch. There aren’t any real restaurants in Bukit Daun and most visitors end up having meals and drinks in warung (simple food stall). Basic supplies are available in local shops.

Getting there:

Bukit Daun nature conservation is about 48 km (30 miles) from the city of Bengkulu and can be reached on day trips from Bengkulu, Curup or Kepahiang. Simply take a public transport (Rp. 10,000) to Tebat Monok from Terminal Nakau in Bengkulu or rent a Kijang. 

More photos

The bloom of Rafflesia arnoldii in Bukit Daun nature conservation

Fun hiking through Bukit Daun forest

Japanese WWII bunker

Foggy scenery of Bukit Daun

Photos by Adriansyah Putera and Shirley Utama Adriansyah

Titan Arum - The World's Tallest Flower

An early blooming Titan Arum

Klik di sini untuk versi bahasa Indonesia

Last updated: Jan 9th 2017

Rainforests of Bengkulu province are also home to the world's tallest flower and possibly the smelliest flower Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), known locally as bunga Kibut or bunga Bangkai (English carrion flower) due to its odor which is like the smell of a rotting animal. Titan arum is a tropical plant native to Sumatra. The plant was first discovered by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in Sumatra – Indonesia in 1878. Now, the plant is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The first known use of the name Titan arum was by an English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough to refer to this gigantic tropical plant during the filming of the Private Life of Plants series in 1993 for BBC TV series. Attenborough felt that constantly referring to the plant as Amorphophallus titanium (meaning huge deformed penis) on popular BBC TV series would be inappropriate where viewers might feel uncomfortable or even might be offended by the plant’s scientific name. 

Titan Arum or Kibut is reminiscent of the smell of rotting flesh

The lili-like Titan arum, or also known as Kibut is a really rare and a unique plant. It generally grows in primary rainforest where the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed and  it requires 7–10 years of vegetative growth before blooming for the first time.   The flower of Titan arum is a rich red, with a huge yellow stamen sticking out from its core, when it throws up a spectacular flower spike that can stand over 2 m (6.5 feet) high. Titan arum creates such a stink because when the flower is fully open, it gets hot and emits a repulsive scent that is attractive to its insect pollinators. It only lasts about 2 or 3 days before collapsing.  

Titan arum can be found in several areas in the rainforests of Bengkulu province, normally in Kepahiang region (60 km or 37 miles from the city of Bengkulu) and in Taba Penanjung (45 km or 28 miles from the city of Bengkulu) on the slopes of the Bukit Barisan Mountains that are 120–365 m (394 - 1,194 ft) above sea level, the most accessible being close to the main road halfway between Bengkulu and Curup. Now Titan arum is one of Bengkulu's floral emblems. 

Scientific classification                                       Klik di sini untuk versi bahasa Indonesia

Kingdom: Plantae 

Order: Alismatales

Family: Araceae

Subfamily: Aroideae

Genus: Amorphophallus

Species: A. titanum

Scientific name: Amorphophallus titanium 

More informally it is also called Titan arum, Kibut, carrion flower or corpse flower.

Kibut - the tallest flower on the planet

Interesting facts about Titan arum

• When the inflorescence is fully open, Titan arum produces an overpowering stench of rotting flesh to attract insect pollinators such as corpse-eating beetles and flesh flies (Sarcophaga). 
• This plant rarely blooms in cultivation but Mr. Holidin, a horticulturist, has had a remarkable success rate having produced several Titan arum for display in the village of Tebat Monok, Kepahiang district, Indonesia. 
• Titan arum grows up from an underground tuber which may weigh up to 70 kg (150 pounds) and which can stay dormant for 1 to 3 years.
• The tuber produces leaf and flower at different times.
• The scientific name Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos + phallos, and titan) means “huge deformed penis” where people might feel uncomfortable or even get offended by the plant’s scientific name. Its Indonesian common name, bunga bangkai, roughly translated means ‘carrion flower’ due to its odor which is reminiscent of the smell of rotting flesh.

Let’s help each other!

Let’s make this post available in various languages! Translating this post can help more readers in your language to understand this post. If you would like to translate this post into your language or if you need help to translate some of your posts into Indonesian, please send me an email to kurt_reyhans@yahoo.com

References: 

www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Titan_arum#intro

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphophallus_titanum

Klik di sini untuk versi bahasa Indonesia

More photos:

Titan Arum is a rich red, with a huge yellow stamen protruding from its core

Seeing a Titan Arum in the village of Tebat Monok - Kepahiang

The bud of Kibut/Titan Arum

Titan Arum can reach over 2 m (6.5 ft) in height

It takes 7–10 years to develop before blooming for the first time

The bloom of the Titan arum, Tebat Monok - Kepahiang Jan 2nd 2017

Photographed in Tebat Monok, Kepahiang - Indonesia

Photos by Adriansyah Putera, Sirly Adriansyah & Kaneko Kenji