It's Latin name means "misshapen phallus", or "phallus without form," and it is easy to see why. Here is an image of the Museum's flower as it currently appears.
Here is an image of what it will look like once it flowers.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has been growing one of these plants from a small root bulb for 6 years in the Cockrell Butterfly Center, which is part of the HMNS.
See the Corpse Flower at HMNS! [Amorphophallus titanum] from HMNS on Vimeo.
There have been only 28 blooms of the Titan Arum in the United States. The individual plants may only bloom once in their long life. The HMNS is expecting their flower to bloom this weekend or sometime next week. The lime green bud has been growing at a rate of about 4 inches PER DAY!
"As it's common name warns, the corpse flower is a smelly thing, with the whithering stench of rotting flesh. As the spathe begins to unfurl, the spadix becomes a gas chamber, heating it's natural oil and emitting noxious fumes for 8 to 12 hours to attract pollinating carrion beetles." - ( Kathy Huber - Houston Chronicle )
So go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science this weekend and take a look at, and maybe a whiff of, one of nature's wonders. You may never get another chance.
1 comment:
Now, lots of people are noticing this flower’s opulence and grandeur. It’s beyond clichés and norms. My introduction to this came along with my then blooming interest on flowers. Being a college boy who liked flowers was outside the cliché itself, I opted to do it privately. I delved into flower arrangement and decoration, and considering it as the most powerful art forte, I decided to live with it. I made friends with great florists in Indianapolis, joined art groups and eventually became one of the strongest push pedals to put flower art in the mainstream. This flower is my own symbol for uniqueness, for it has the qualities of being powerful and special.
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