Smells like trouble: Popular 'corpse flower' is headed towards extinction

The endangered “corpse flower” (Amorphophallus titanum) faces pressure from habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species. Unfortunately, a new study reveals that there is yet another threat: incomplete and inconsistent historical records.

Without properly documented plant ancestry and breeding history, horticulturists cannot make informed decisions about pollination.

This lack of information has led to inbreeding in collections worldwide, which degrades the gene pool and jeopardizes the plant’s long-term survival.

The scent that draws crowds

The corpse flower gets its name from the distinctive stench it emits. To attract pollinators (like carrion beetles and flesh flies), the plant relies on an overpowering odor that smells like decaying flesh.

Visitors to botanic gardens line up when this specimen is about to bloom, eager to see – and smell – the giant spadix and brief flower display.

“Usually, you have to get close to a flower to be able to smell it,” said Olivia Murrell, lead researcher and first author of the study. “That is not true for the corpse flower. The second you walk into its greenhouse, its smell smacks you across the face.”

When in bloom, the plant also generates heat which disperses the infamous aroma even more effectively.

Managing complex living collections

Because corpse flower seeds cannot tolerate drying and seed banking, they are carefully maintained as full-sized specimens.

Botanic gardens and research facilities maintain these plants in “living collections,” which is a delicate and complex undertaking.

These institutions work under unpredictable conditions because corpse flowers bloom only rarely and for a very short time – just 24 to 48 hours.

Adding to this challenge is the bloom timing: female flowers open first, and by the time the male flowers mature, the female flowers are no longer viable.

Researchers from Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden set out to understand why the species continues to show declining genetic health in captivity, despite dedicated care.

They discovered that inconsistent data transfer between institutions has muddled the plants’ genetic histories. When a corpse flower moves to a new site, its records often don’t travel along with it.

This haphazard approach leads to unintended pollination events, such as using pollen from a closely related plant or the same plant’s previous bloom, which can lead to inbreeding.

Incomplete corpse flower records

Murrell and her colleagues discovered that the difficulties facing corpse flowers are partly due to missing or inconsistent data.

The team gathered information on nearly 1,200 corpse flowers across 111 different institutions worldwide. They received handwritten notes, spreadsheets, email text, and other varied record formats.

Ideally, a plant’s file should list its parentage, origin, health status, and significant events such as pollination or propagation.

Unfortunately, these details were often absent or fragmented. Many gardens did not record which plant’s pollen was used for fertilization. When a plant was transferred, a file might never arrive with it.

The result is that 24% of the surveyed plants were confirmed clones, while 27% were crosses between close relatives.

Additional genetic testing on a sample of 65 plants confirmed low overall diversity and a high degree of inbreeding.

This troubling data reveals that the problem involves more than a few isolated individuals.

Corpse flowers and genetic diversity

“There are many risks associated with low genetic diversity,” Murrell said. “Generally speaking, inbred plants might not produce as much pollen or might die right after they flower.”

In some cases, none of the offspring from an inbred plant survive because they are albino seedlings with no chlorophyll.

Even if a plant appears healthy, a population dominated by inbred specimens has limited defenses against pests, disease, and environmental change.

According to recent figures published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, only 162 individuals are estimated to remain in the wild.

With such diminished numbers, robust, genetically varied captive populations have grown increasingly important.

The complications of inbreeding are magnified by the corpse flower’s challenging reproductive biology. Because female and male flowers do not bloom simultaneously, pollen is often stored or collected from available sources, including closely related genetic lines.

With each new reproductive event, the overall diversity narrows and pushes the species closer to a genetic bottleneck that could threaten its survival.

More focus on sharing data

Recognizing the need for better management, Murrell and her co-authors propose several remedies. They urge institutions to document the plant origins and parentage, standardize data collection practices, track parent plants across gardens, and ensure that documentation follows all relocated plants.

Adopting a consistent recordkeeping language is also critical. Gardeners, scientists, and conservationists must share data without confusion.

Murrell emphasizes that the clock is ticking for Amorphophallus titanum. Natural habitats in Sumatra continue to degrade, and the species’ wild numbers are dwindling.

Success in botanic collections may be the only hope for restoring the corpse flower to its natural range.

By reducing inbreeding and expanding genetic diversity, gardens, and research facilities can offer a lifeline for this captivating plant.

However, even the most well-intentioned efforts will fall short without a greater commitment to reliable recordkeeping.

The study is published in the journal Annals of Botany.

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