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By Nancy Nais
BAU, June 18: If spotting one Amorphophallus titanum or corpse flower is rare, what about discovering 18 in one area?
It was a shock for a group of friends who regularly go mountain hiking when they discovered 18 of these extraordinary giant flowers on their way to Mount Singai this morning.
The remarkable plant uses its foul ‘rotten flesh’ scent to attract pollinators that typically feed on dead animals.
The flower comprises a hollow, tall spadix with small flowers and a spathe, with one big, furrowed petal that is green on the outside and deep burgundy red on the inside.
Located in the Bau district, Mount Singai is one of the most prominent mountains, 30km from Kuching city.
Standing 550 meters above sea level, this is a sacred mountain and an abode of the Bidayuh community for more than 400 years before the villagers moved down to the lowlands in the early 1970s.
The hike up Mount Singai is divided into two sections, with the first half being wooden stairs and a boardwalk leading to the Catholic Memorial and Pilgrimage Centre (CMPC), while the second half is the hiking trail leading to the summit.
“The four of us began our hike from Mount Singai’s foothill. Along the steps of the stairs are 14 Stations of the Cross.
“We saw the first flower located between the fourth and fifth Stations of the Cross. We were excited and decided to go near it to get a picture and give it a sniff.
“The smell was so awful that I almost gagged. No wonder it’s called corpse flower,” Doria Easther John told this DayakDaily writer, who was also hiking with the group.
Despite the decaying smell, they admitted that the odd-looking flower also looked majestic.
After taking a few pictures, they proceeded to ascend, and to their surprise, they found two more on the ground, barely 50 meters away.
The discovery didn’t stop until they reached the CMPC; their count was more than a dozen.
“We asked each other, wait a minute, how did eight or ten happen all at once? By the time we reached CMPC, we had found and counted 18 corpse flowers of various sizes,” Charlene Lawrence said.
The odorous plants also drew other climbers’ attention when many walked towards it to snap a photo and sniff it. — DayakDaily
