Stinky "Corpse" Flower in Bloom in California

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

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Has anyone here ever seen this flower in person? More here.

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Corpse flowers typically take 15 years to reach a mature blooming size, and blooms usually only last 24 hours.


The foul odor the plants emit attracts insects for pollination. The plants don't emit the foul odor until they bloom.
"It smelled like rotting meat or decaying rats or gym socks," said Brandon Tam, an orchid specialist at the Huntington.


The scent decreased on Friday afternoon as the flower started to close back up. "But if you are close enough, you'll be able to get a little whiff of it," Tam said.
"Stink" is the sixth corpse flower to bloom at the institution in suburban San Marino. The last was on Aug. 23, 2014.
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Ruth n Jersey said:
I've read about it and find it fascinating. I would love to see it.
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Me too, Ruth. Looking at more photos, I found another weird plant also called "corpse flower". The text below explains.

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Next on our list comes a rather morbid yet beautiful flower— Rafflesia keithii, or, the Corpse Flower. There is a bit of a debate over whether or not the true corpse flower is the Rafflesia keithii or the Titan arum. If you’ve seen the movie Dennis the Menace than you may remember the flower that Mr. Wilson waited nearly 40 years to see bloom—that’s the Titan arum. The Corpse Flower of which we speak now is much rarer and can only be found in the rainforests of Indonesia. The Corpse Flower is a parasitic organism that has no visible leaves, roots or stems, causing some to argue that the Corpse Flower isn’t a flower at all—rather a fungus. In addition to its vampiric traits, the Corpse Flower is the world’s largest individual flower. Still wondering why it’s nicknamed the Corpse Flower? Let’s just say don’t breathe in its scent too deeply.

https://blog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au/40-of-the-worlds-weirdest-flowers/
 
Very unusual and beautiful flowers Radish. I had a snake plant years ago that finally bloomed. They say they don't bloom easily. When I was in my Cactus mode I had several bloom also. I finally gave them all away. They grow so slow I actually had to dust them off with the furniture.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
Very unusual and beautiful flowers Radish. I had a snake plant years ago that finally bloomed. They say they don't bloom easily. When I was in my Cactus mode I had several bloom also. I finally gave them all away. They grow so slow I actually had to dust them off with the furniture.
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Ruth, it's true the snake plant rarely blooms. You've reminded me now, that I did have one that bloomed years ago. It was in a sunny window, perhaps that's why. They're easy to propagate, too.
 
jujube said:
Yes, we went to see one in Houston a few years ago. The day we went, it was only at a 7 on the scale of 10 for stinkiness, but I'm not sure I wanted to be there if it hit a 10. Pretty nasty smell. Stuck in my nose for a while.

I think once in a lifetime is enough for me.
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Well, I think it's cool that you actually got to see one, Jujube, even if once was enough.
 
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