Rare "Corpse Flower" to bloom soon in Houston

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/7103918.html

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"We (Houston Museum of Natural Science) are staying open late to accommodate the crowds, and we may go 24 hours if we have to," Thomas said. "We want everyone to be able to see the flower who wants to."

The flower, native to the Sumatran rainforests in Indonesia, is one of the biggest and most mysterious flowers in the world. It's bloom is so rare that only 28 other bloomings have been observed in the United States.

It gets its name from one of its more unique traits: When the "corpse flower" opens, the smell of meat flies' meals permeates. Those flies - the plant's primary pollinators - feast on rotting flesh. "It smells really bad," said Zac Stayton, a horticulturist at the museum. "I'm told it's one of the worse smells you will come across."

Crowds that waited an average of 30 minutes to see the flower Sunday were spared the smell.

"Is this it? Where is the stinky plant?" said Carmelita Lapus, a visitor at the museum. "We were really hoping to see it open now, but if it doesn't we will be back tomorrow."

The odds that the plant will bloom today are about 80 percent, Stayton said. It should certainly open by Wednesday, he added.

The flower will most likely start blooming around 3 p.m. today and should take four hours to fully open.

The flower will stay in bloom only about two days, Stayton said.

"We don't know what triggers them to bloom," said Tom Rice, a docent with the museum. "It's one of the great mysteries of botany."

Live web cam here: http://www.hmnsmedia.org/CorpseFlower/


A picture of one in bloom:

[Sherman A1]

1. Thanks for Posting

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2. You're welcome!

[Cirque du So-What]

3. KnR for daylight DUers

some of whom may live close enough to go experience this rarity.

[lillypaddle]

4. kick & rec nt.

[Kablooie]

5. We've got one of those in Los Angeles too. At the Huntington Library. Phew!

[Igel]

6. Ick.

You can get the same wonderful odor by having a bunch of stapelia blooming in your kitchen window.

Not recommended. Weird plant; weird blooms (both the arum and a lot of stapeliads).

[Warpy]

7. The way Houston smells these days

I wonder if anyone will notice.

Seriously, I wonder if they've been taking the plant's biochemical "temperature," trying to figure out what changes happened to cause it to bloom.

At least these things don't bloom often. Anyone who has had fun and games with butyric acid would probably agree. Phew.

[TZ]

11. They've had several blooms at the National Botanical Gardens

in DC in the past 5-6 years. Of course I don't think there have been any blooms since Obama took office...HMMMMMMM..:P

[RagAss]

8. No thanks.

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9. Still waiting... no bloom yet.

It has been over a week now.

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10. The flower is starting to bloom!

Webcam: http://www.hmnsmedia.org/CorpseFlower/