Aristolochia gordeana, said to be Africa's largest flower, bloomed for the first time on November 16, 2023 at the Kyoto Botanical Garden's viewing greenhouse in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. There are no examples of cultivation at other facilities, and this is the first time the plant has bloomed in Japan.
Native to tropical West Africa, it was introduced to the Kyoto Botanical Garden in 2015. Flower buds appeared in October this year and bloomed around noon on November 16th. Visitors were surprised to see the reddish, saxophone-shaped flowers, about 25 centimeters in diameter, blooming near the ground and pointing their cameras at them.
The flowering period is said to be about two to three days, and Masaki Yamakata, age59, a staff member in charge of cultivation, said, ''I'm overwhelmed with emotion at the long-awaited flowering.''
