Stench doesn't deter 'bunga bankai' visitros

Bambang Parlupi, Contributor, Jakarta

When the giant sized flower started to bloom in the Bogor Botanical Garden, people flocked to come and watched the rare scene on their own.

Their interest stems from the fact that the plant, locally known as Bunga Bangkai (Amorphophallus titanum) due to its stinging putrid smell when it starts to blossom, is a rare one and produces one of the world's largest flowers. When in full bloom, the petals are often wider than one meter and its height can reach up to 3.5 meters.

"The stench can be smelt from a distance of 100 meters," said Yuzami, a researcher from the Bogor Botanical Garden, home to the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI)' Center of Plant Conservation.

The rare event began taking place at the gardens in early August.

When it first bloomed, the height of the flower, whose tuber was acquired from Muara Imat in Jambi, was recorded at 295 cms. The Bogor Botanical Garden has had the 100 kilogram tuber since 1992. Researchers earlier predicted the flower would be in perfect bloom in mid August.

"The recent high rainfall in Bogor had speeded it (the blooming) up," explained Yuzami, an alumnus of Bandung-based Padjajaran University's School of Biology.

At present, the garden has 10 tubers of Amorphophallus titanum taken from several locations in Sumatra, such as Solok, Lahat, Jambi and Bengkulu, and they were first planted in the garden's 87-hectare plot of land in 1915.

The one that bloomed in August has displayed its magnificent flower on three occasions since it was planted nine years ago.

The first time was on Feb. 5, 1994 with its height reaching 180 cms and width 105 cms, with the second blooming taking place on June 12, 1997 with a height of 252 cms and width of 152 cms.

Other members of the garden's collection, such as the one originating from Solok, West Sumatra, bloomed once in July, 1999, four years after being planted. Today, it looks just like any other plant, with a stem, roots and leaves. Though devoid of flowers, this plant still manages to draw the attention of the crowds.

The Bogor Botanical Garden, which was set up on May 18, 1817, was originally called the Lands Plantentuin or Hortus Botanicus Bogoriensis and initially occupied a 47-hectare plot of land. The impetus for its establishment came from a German botanist, Prof. Dr. C. Reinwardt, who wrote to the General Commissioner in Batavia requesting land for research activities on various plants.

"In the future, it will be proven that the garden will have an educational role for teachers in agriculture and will hold vast collections of plants. The results of such research will be distributed to other gardens," wrote Reinwardt.

The garden is a "live museum" with the most complete collection of tropical plants in the world. It has 3,504 species of plants -- divided into 1,273 genera from 199 families -- coming from various parts of Indonesia as well as other countries.

The rare and popular plants include Bintaro (Cerbera manghas L.), Bogor tree or Kolang-kaling (a kind of sugar palm fruit or Arenga pinnata) and the South American Cola acuminata, whose fruits are used as the raw material for the famous soft drink Coca Cola.

Once visited by Queen Astrid of Belgium, in 1929, the garden also boasts a large number of bamboo plants -- 99 species of Indonesian bamboos, and 26 from Malaysia, Japan and Sri Lanka, 20 species of rattan, 90 genera of palm trees from all over the world and 3,142 species of wild orchids, including the world's largest orchid: Grammatophyllum speciosum Bl from Irian Jaya.

It also houses more than 100 species of local medicinal plants like Teh Jawa (Javanese tea or Orthosiphon arstatus), whose leaves are beneficial in curing kidney disease.

As one of the four botanical gardens in the country, the Bogor site also plays a role as an ex-situ conservation area and helps to protect a number of fauna species like insects, birds, mammals and reptiles, while facilitating research in taxonomy, botany and horticulture.

The Bogor Botanical Garden, which is managed by the National Institute of Sciences, is part of Kebun Raya Indonesia (Indonesian Botanical Gardens). The three others are the 120- hectare Cibodas Botanical Garden in Cipanas, West Java, the 76- hectare Purwodadi Botanica Garden in Pasuruan, East Java, and the the 159.4-hectare Eka Karya Botanical Garden in Bedugul, Bali.