The flower shown in the image – Amorphophallus titanum or Titan Arum – is indeed considered the largest in the world. Also known as the “Corpse Flower” because of its foul smell, Amorphophallus titanum is a prized addition to a number of well-known botanical gardens around the world, including London’s Kew Gardens, California’s Huntington Botanical Gardens and Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
While bloomings of the Amorphophallus titanum are certainly rare, and the flowers only last for two or three days, it is not true that they only bloom once every forty years as claimed in the message. The specimens kept in various botanical gardens often go for several years between blooms. However, the plants are not set to a forty year blooming cycle and many specimens have bloomed much more regularly. In “The Private Life Of Plants”, David Attenborough suggests that Amorphophallus titanum in the wild bloom about once every 1000 days.
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