The titan arum grows in the wild only in the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was first scientifically described in 1878 by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari. The plant flowers only infrequently in the wild. It first flowered in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK, in 1889, with over 100 cultivated blossoms since then. The first documented flowerings in the United States were at the New York Botanical Garden in 1937 and 1939. This flowering also inspired the designation of the titan arum as the official flower of the Bronx in 1939, only to be replaced in 2000 by the day lily. In the Botanical Gardens of Bonn, the titan arum was cultivated since 1932 and the largest collection was built up by Wilhelm Barthlott after 1988, about 30 flowers were recorded and researched since.[17] The number of cultivated plants has increased in recent years, and not uncommonly five or more flowering events occur in gardens around the world in a single year, since today the cultivation requirements for gardens are known in detail.[18] Advanced pollination techniques mean that this plant is rarely cultivated by amateur gardeners. However, in 2011, Roseville High School (Roseville, California) became the first high school in the world to bring a titan arum to bloom.[19]