Tweet
See I knew there was something that I had to rush back to Seattle for. LOL
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...nky_Plant.html
Smelly 'corpse plant' drawing crowds
By JACOB ADELMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Its scent has drawn comparisons to garbage and spoiled meat, but that isn't stopping crowds from flocking to see -and smell - an unusual plant in bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden.
The titan arum plant, nicknamed "corpse plant" for its rank smell, is attracting thousands of visitors during the day or two it remains in bloom.
"It's quite spectacular: the color and the form and the strong odor," said John Kress, chairman of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's botany department, which owns the plant. "I think that's what most people come to see. Or smell."
The long, conical bloom of the titan arum is believed to be the largest flower that doesn't grow on a tree. It has been known to grow 12 feet high in its native habitat on the island of Sumatra.
The specimen at the botanic garden, which began blooming early Sunday, is about 5 feet high.
Now that it's in bloom, the plant has also started emitting a smell that's drawn comparisons to garbage, spoiled meat, and rotting fish. But the plant's stench is actually the key to its survival: carrion beetles and other pollinators in its native Sumatra are attracted to the smell, Kress said
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...nky_Plant.html
Smelly 'corpse plant' drawing crowds
By JACOB ADELMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Its scent has drawn comparisons to garbage and spoiled meat, but that isn't stopping crowds from flocking to see -and smell - an unusual plant in bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden.
The titan arum plant, nicknamed "corpse plant" for its rank smell, is attracting thousands of visitors during the day or two it remains in bloom.
"It's quite spectacular: the color and the form and the strong odor," said John Kress, chairman of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's botany department, which owns the plant. "I think that's what most people come to see. Or smell."
The long, conical bloom of the titan arum is believed to be the largest flower that doesn't grow on a tree. It has been known to grow 12 feet high in its native habitat on the island of Sumatra.
The specimen at the botanic garden, which began blooming early Sunday, is about 5 feet high.
Now that it's in bloom, the plant has also started emitting a smell that's drawn comparisons to garbage, spoiled meat, and rotting fish. But the plant's stench is actually the key to its survival: carrion beetles and other pollinators in its native Sumatra are attracted to the smell, Kress said
Comment