PaulL
07-16-10, 08:55
This thing is blooming in Houston right now and everybody's going nuts over it. Apparently it looks awesome and smells like rotting flesh. I keep watching the webcam expecting it to reach out and eat somebody, though.
Info: http://www.hmns.org/see_do/butterfly_center.asp
Webcam: http://www.hmnsmedia.org/CorpseFlower/
The "Corpse Flower" (Amorphophallus titanum) gets its name from the pungent stench it emits in bloom - this, combined with the flower's huge size and deep purple color, convinced the first explorers who encountered it in Sumatra to believe it was a man-eating plant! Since then, this extremely rare plant has gained celebrity status by having one of the largest, rarest, and smelliest flowers in the world. These flowers can reach heights of 7-10 ft and a diameter of 5-6 ft.
For the next week or so, you can see this incredibly rare and odorous flower for yourself in the Cockrell Butterfly Center! We anticipate that the flower will be in full bloom over the weekend of July 9 - 11. In the meantime, you can follow the plant's extraordinary growth (53 inches and counting!) and get updated predictions for when it will be in full bloom on the HMNS blog.
“The Corpse Flower is unique because it’s totally unpredictable," said Dr. Nancy Greig, director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center. "No one really knows what triggers a given plant to flower, and a plant may only flower once in its lifetime. We’ve had ours for six years and this is the first time it has bloomed—we’re very lucky,” said Greig. “It may be the largest, smelliest flower in the world, but its beauty is unparalleled.”
Info: http://www.hmns.org/see_do/butterfly_center.asp
Webcam: http://www.hmnsmedia.org/CorpseFlower/
The "Corpse Flower" (Amorphophallus titanum) gets its name from the pungent stench it emits in bloom - this, combined with the flower's huge size and deep purple color, convinced the first explorers who encountered it in Sumatra to believe it was a man-eating plant! Since then, this extremely rare plant has gained celebrity status by having one of the largest, rarest, and smelliest flowers in the world. These flowers can reach heights of 7-10 ft and a diameter of 5-6 ft.
For the next week or so, you can see this incredibly rare and odorous flower for yourself in the Cockrell Butterfly Center! We anticipate that the flower will be in full bloom over the weekend of July 9 - 11. In the meantime, you can follow the plant's extraordinary growth (53 inches and counting!) and get updated predictions for when it will be in full bloom on the HMNS blog.
“The Corpse Flower is unique because it’s totally unpredictable," said Dr. Nancy Greig, director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center. "No one really knows what triggers a given plant to flower, and a plant may only flower once in its lifetime. We’ve had ours for six years and this is the first time it has bloomed—we’re very lucky,” said Greig. “It may be the largest, smelliest flower in the world, but its beauty is unparalleled.”