Giant rare bloom gives off stench(big foul-smelling flower)

BBC News ^ | 04/21/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

Giant rare bloom gives off stench

 

The plant is said to be the largest flower in the world

A giant rare flower is emitting a stench of rotting flesh after blooming overnight.

The titan arum at Kew Gardens, in west London, will keep its smelly bloom for only one or two days.

Commonly known as the "corpse flower" by Indonesians in its native Sumatra, the blood-red flower is 2.11m tall and last bloomed at Kew in 2003.

The stench, likened by one visitor to "dirty nappies", attracts the insects needed to pollinate the flower.

The plant, Latin name Amorphophallus titanum, is believed to be the largest flower in the world.

Huge pots

It is renowned for its hideous smell which is said to be a cross between burnt sugar and rotting flesh.

For the past few weeks the shoot grew about 10cm a day until the plant slowly opened up like an upturned umbrella.

Kew horticulturist Phil Griffiths said their biggest success had been "to put the plants into huge pots later on in their development".

"This increases the size of the bulb and therefore the resulting flowers have been huge," he added.

[FormerACLUmember]

Giant rare bloom gives off stench(big foul-smelling flower)

For a second there I thought this was an article about the humorless Hillary smiling.

[kingattax]

[big'ol_freeper]

When I first saw the picture I thought it was a picture of Bill Clinton. Once I realised that it was not der Schlictmeister I began to think that, although its not "he of pants-around-the-ankles fame", it must be a liberal plant considering its distasteful characteristics.

[ProudVet77]

Wasn't this part of a Simsons plot?
Who knew that show was so educational.

[big'ol_freeper]

Should we plant one?

[Cobra64]

Looks like... nevermind.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Cobra, looks like . . . Amorphophallus titanum, and I do mean titanum.

[Slyfox]

Separated at Birth

[No Blue States]

The plant, Latin name Amorphophallus titanum..

A better name might have been adildophallus titanium.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #10

LOL! That is indeed a better name.

[bert]

Aroid bump

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #9

If we bend that yellow thing a little, we will have a perfect "Slickmeister."

[lionheart 247365]

Also known as the HILLARY Blossom .

[Slyfox]

Hillary's arm is bent a little, does that count?

[martin_fierro]

I love these stories.

[billorites]

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #18

Can't tell you. I have never seen it. However, I should say that it would fit right into a kind of movie like Dennis the Menace.

[toothfairy86]

Rumor has it that Billy Boy isn't quite so, um, well endowed.