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Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
 Posted: 28-06-2004 03:18 Post subject: "Corpse flower" ready to bloom |
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| Quote: | Rare 'corpse flower' almost ready to bloom
Hold your nose - unless you're an insect
Donna Tommelleo
Associated Press
Jun. 24, 2004 12:00 AM
STORRS, Conn. - Wait until the neighbors get a whiff of this.
A giant exotic plant that has not bloomed in the Northeast in more than 60 years is ready to flower at the University of Connecticut's greenhouses. The "corpse flower" has the odor of 3-day-old road kill, and UConn botanists couldn't be more excited.
Once open, the spiked, bright-red bloom even resembles rotting meat, a veritable welcome mat for the insects that pollinate it: flies and carrion beetles.
"It looks like something has died. It smells like something has died. It has some of the same chemicals that dead bodies produce," UConn research assistant Matthew Opel said Tuesday.
The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) at UConn was planted 10 years ago and was part of a group of seeds brought to the United States from their native Sumatra by botanical explorer James Symon.
The plant is expected to blossom in the next five to six days. Until it blooms, it's almost odorless. Already 4 feet high, the flower could reach more than 6 feet high and at least that wide when it opens up.
The stinky botanical curiosity is expected to attract visitors like ... well, flies.
The blossom lasts just two days before it begins to disintegrate, and UConn plans to extend visiting hours at the research greenhouse to accommodate the nosy. For the weak-stomached, a Web cam on the UConn Internet site provides odorless footage of the flower.
The UConn flower will be the seventh to bloom in the nation since 1999, although it's the first in New England and the second in the Northeast since 1937. |
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0624stink-plant24.html |
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| lopaka3 Great Old One Joined: 17 Sep 2001 Total posts: 2154 Location: Near the corner of a Big Continent Gender: Male |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 15-07-2004 14:35 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Smelly Flower Attracts Fans in Texas
By The Associated Press
July 14, 2004, 7:45 PM EDT
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Just about any other flower would smell sweeter, but that hasn't stopped plant lovers from enduring the stench of the rare blooms of the Amorphophallus titanum plant.
Braving an odor likened to rotting flesh, crowds this week viewed the blooms of the plant -- nicknamed the giant corpse flower -- that's growing in the shade house of the Mast Arboretum at Stephen F. Austin University.
The blooms at SFA are the first to be recorded in the state of Texas. Only about two dozen such blooms have been recorded in the United States since the plant, native to Indonesia and Sumatra, was introduced in 1937.
An arboretum research associate, Dawn Stover, said she's enjoyed the opportunity to more closely examine the plant.
"It's been really fun watching it open," she said.
Crowds gasped at the beauty of the small flowers inside the plant which was pollinated Monday from a plant that recently bloomed at the University of Connecticut.
Reaching a height of 5-feet, 1-inch, the bloom's unique appearance, size and odor made the plant the center of attention. |
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Last edited by Mighty_Emperor on 31-05-2005 04:19; edited 1 time in total |
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| Anonymous |
| Posted: 15-07-2004 15:55 Post subject: |
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| Brilliant. I love Arums, they're so sinister looking, I've grown a couple of black varieties. I've also seen wild dragon arums in Greece, they look a lot like smaller versions of this, and have the "carrion" smell, as well as the big long thing sticking out that one of my plant catalogues called its "suggestive" spathe. |
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| Anonymous |
| Posted: 07-10-2004 11:02 Post subject: |
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I'll try to get into town to see this.
| Quote: | Flower stinks up Sydney
07/10/2004 07:49__-_(SA)__
Australia - With the aroma of "overripe Camembert cheese on a bed of roadkill" a rare example of the world's largest flower burst into bloom on Thursday in a Sydney hothouse.
Visitors to Sydney's Botanical Gardens have described the scent of the Titan Arum, also known as Amorphophallus titanum, as like a room full of smelly socks, fish rotting, wet carpet, or a rotten banana.
Alistair Hay, director of the Botanical Gardens Trust, had another opinion. "It smelled exactly like overripe Camembert cheese on a bed of roadkill," he said.
The flowers have been known to grow to nearly three metres high in their native rainforests of western Sumatra in Indonesia and come into bloom every two or three years in the wild, said Stevie King from the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust.
But this is the first time the plant has flowered in the garden on the banks of Sydney Harbour since it was planted as a seed in 1993.
"We had to learn how to propagate it," King said. "We have a joint conservation project going between the Trust and the Indonesian Botanic Gardens, and what we've got now is the first flowering."
Its name means "huge deformed penis", but its common Indonesian name is "bung bangkai", which roughly translates into "corpse flower", said Tim Entwistle, executive director of the Botanical Gardens Trust, who described it as a "big banana-shaped thing with this frilly skirt that opens up upside down".
The yellow flower, standing 1.32 metres tall, has attracted visitors all week long as it prepared to bloom, but not for its striking yellow central column - or spadix - or its crimson-and-green dishbowl-shaped petal or spathe - but rather its stinking perfume.
King said the smell is most potent at night, when the plant sends out its scent in wafting waves to attract insects.
"It needs to attract the night insects to pollinate," she said.
The flower was expected to fully flower in the next two days before the stalk collapses and dehydrates and the plant dies. |
http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1601095,00.html |
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| zygmunt_rocks_on rider on the highway Joined: 19 Aug 2001 Total posts: 299 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-10-2004 11:21 Post subject: |
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I've seen a wild Rafflesia in Borneo, which is another type of 'corpse flower'... a farmer near Kinabalu had found one on his land and was charging passers-by to have a look. It was impressively massive (about 3 foot across), but despite what they told us at school, it didn't smell at all. It DOES look a lot a rotting animal's burst stomach, though. 
Here's a picture of one (that's not me, by the way) |
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| Anonymous |
| Posted: 07-10-2004 11:24 Post subject: |
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| Beautiful! |
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| rynner Location: Still above sea level Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-04-2005 22:10 Post subject: |
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Not Fortean exactly, but strange and rare enough:
| Quote: | Eden crowds set for stinky treat
A gigantic flower is getting ready to bloom at Cornwall's Eden Project and is set to cause an incredible stink.
Known as a titan arum, the rare plant has recently been installed in a giant pot within Eden's Humid Tropics Biome.
At present the plant stands just over 6ft tall (186cm) but is still growing at 10-15cm a day and could eventually reach 9.8ft (3m) tall.
And when the plant, also known as the corpse flower, blooms fully it emits a sickening odour.
The titan, which originates from the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, is a cousin of the lilies known as lords and ladies found in British hedgerows.
Tim Grigg, the gardener who has nurtured Eden's Titan from a small tuber, said: "It is famous for its sheer size, shape and revolting smell.
"This has been likened to dead rats, decaying fish and burnt sugar."
Mr Grigg was first given the plant to look after in 1998.
'Taken by surprise'
He measures the plant daily and keeps notes on its condition so Eden can share data with botanists around the world.
He said: "It has taken us by surprise because we didn't expect it to flower this year. It's the craziest, most spectacular plant."
It is thought to be the largest structure of its kind found in nature.
In the UK, the plant was first brought to flower at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 1889.
When it bloomed again in 1926 police had to be brought in to control the crowds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4421485.stm
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I think I read in the local paper today that is has now bloomed (if that's what you want to call it!) |
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| mynah Yeti Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Total posts: 71 Location: The Tropical Rainforest Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 14-04-2005 05:07 Post subject: |
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| zygmunt wrote: | I've seen a wild Rafflesia in Borneo, which is another type of 'corpse flower'... a farmer near Kinabalu had found one on his land and was charging passers-by to have a look. It was impressively massive (about 3 foot across), but despite what they told us at school, it didn't smell at all. It DOES look a lot a rotting animal's burst stomach, though.
Here's a picture of one (that's not me, by the way) |
You are very lucky zygmunt! The Rafflesia is very rare and park rangers here can't tell when a plant will burst into bloom.... I have never seen one and I live 2 hours from the deep jungle 
As for the corpse flower, there's one which blooms every May about 20 miles from my home but nobody I know is interested to see it - the reaction is usually "What! That stinky thing!" I myself would rather view it from newspaper & TV pictures.  |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 31-05-2005 04:21 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | 'Corpse Flower' Set to Bloom in San Fran
May 28, 4:52 PM (ET)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A giant, stinky flower is attracting a nosy crowd to San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers this holiday weekend.
The titan arum, more commonly known as the "corpse flower," is set to bloom for the first time in two years.
The plant celebrity is world-famous for the big stink it makes when it opens for three or four days every few years. The flower is known both for its scent, which has been compared to dirty gym socks or rotting meat, and its size.
The 10-year-old plant at the conservatory, nicknamed "Ted the Titan," is expected to reach a height of 5 feet.
"It's so voluptuous," said Scot Medbury, director of the Conservatory of Flowers, as he watched visitors pose for photographs with the towering bud. "It's more bizarrely beautiful than anything you can imagine, but it's something that really evolved on this planet."
The conservatory has extended its hours this weekend, bracing for crowds. The titan arum has even been featured in an episode of "The Simpsons."
The plant, which is native to Sumatra, uses its scent in the same way that sweet-smelling flowers do: to attract pollinating insects. But this flower hopes to attract flies and carrion beetles that think its pungent odor means food.
The flower is actually made up of many smaller flowers. The arum lily has a potato-like root that weighs 44 pounds, Medbury said. When its hood unfurls, the deep reddish-purple bloom will last a few days, with the scent peaking on the second day. Then the bloom will collapse and the plant will go dormant again.
"Even closed, this truly is just exquisite," said Tricia Hall of Kentfield, who traveled to the conservatory with her husband, Tom, to see the titan arum. "We were able to enjoy it without being driven away" by the smell, she added with a smile.
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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle |
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| poozler Great Old One Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Total posts: 170 Location: melbourne australia Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 05-06-2005 00:58 Post subject: |
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When I lived in Perth, Australia, my partner and I rented a house with a large, rangy back yard, where we seldom went because of the extent of its ranginess (and some rats).
One hot summer day, B and I smelled something DREADFUL coming from the direction of the back garden, which we thought was dead rats. We went to investigate and found this one immense flower. It was definitely an amorphophallus (we found out by asking around), but I can't find out what exact kind it was. I have looked for photos on the Internet, but can't find the exact same plant.
Here's a description (I used to have a photo, but can't find it for scanning):
- dark wavy, scalloped leaves (dark green and purple)
- very dark blackish purple stamen (the phallus part), thick at the bottom, pointy on top, slippery-looking
- a large greenish bulb at the base of the stamen, which buzzed because of all of the flies trapped inside, being slowly digested (I guess like a pitcher plant??)
- stood about 1.5 metres total, very broad leaves, stamen about 0.5 metre.
The stinky flower part lasted about 5 days. During that time--in high fly season--we had no flies anywhere near our house (a blessing in Perth). The leaves lasted for the entire season.
The next year, MORE of these things showed up. The next year, there were even more. (Made me think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.) Flowering was definitely NOT a rare occurence, merely brief.
We left Perth after that, so I don't know what happened with these things. Maybe there's a forest there now.
If anyone knows the name of this thing, please tell me. I would be interested in finding out. |
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| Anonymous |
| Posted: 05-06-2005 15:01 Post subject: |
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I mean not to be erroneous in my next text but here is what I have to bring to you.
My family friends live in westward ho! Devon (exclamation mark is part of the name) and they have an amorphophallus in the garden. I will have to say that I can only attribute the warm climate of the ocean for its survival but more to the point, it seems to flower every other year. Next time I am there (in the next few months) I will send an array of pictures to prove what I have just said. |
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| rynner Location: Still above sea level Gender: Male |
| Posted: 06-02-2007 14:38 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Corpse flower comes back to life
One of the smelliest flowers in the world is drawing hundreds of people to the Eden Project in Cornwall.
The Titan arum - or the corpse flower - reached 164cm (5.4ft) tall after beginning to bloom earlier than expected in Eden's Humid Tropics Biome.
It is only the second Titan to flower at Eden. It stays in bloom for 48 hours before its central spike decomposes.
The spike heats up and gives off the smell which, while revolting to humans, is very alluring to insects.
Its usual home is the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Horticulturist Tim Grigg raised it from a seedling after it was first planted nine years ago at Eden's Watering Lane Nursery.
A spokesman for the project said the Titan had bloomed particularly early and had attracted massive interest.
Titan arum
Full name: Amorphophallus titanum
Originates from Sumatra
Its nickname is the corpse flower
He said: "The Titan has now gone into full flower and smell and has perhaps another 24 hours to go before it flops over and dies.
"It has created a huge amount of interest here with visitors, we've had schoolchildren and TV crews coming to have a look and thousands more going on our webcam.
"The few that have flowered before in the UK have been later in the year. We think this one has bloomed in February because of the record warmth last year and very mild winter."
Don Murray, Eden's rainforest curator, said: "The Titan is causing a sensation among visitors and we have to let them know that it gives off a unique odour when it is in its final hours.
"The newly-installed webcam will allow it to be seen from Bodelva to Brisbane and all around the world.
"The only downside for internet viewers is that they won't be able to 'enjoy' the smell and feel the heat."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6332893.stm
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| rynner Location: Still above sea level Gender: Male |
| Posted: 08-11-2007 20:11 Post subject: |
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Here we go again!
Stinkiest bloom is set to flower
A Cornish horticulturist has impressed his colleagues by raising his third specimen of one of the world's smelliest flowers, at the Eden Project.
Tim Grigg first thought the titan arum, which he had cared for for nine years, was just sprouting some new leaves.
His first titan flowered in April 2005 and the second in February this year.
The current specimen 1.5m tall (4ft 9in) and is growing at a rate of 9cm (3.5in) a day. It is expected to flower sometime this weekend.
The titan arum - or the corpse flower - stays in bloom for 48 hours before its central spike decomposes.
The spike heats up and gives off the smell which, while revolting to humans, is very alluring to insects.
Its usual home is the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia.
He said: "I've been nurturing this flower in a pot for nine years.
"Watching it grow and waiting for it to come into bloom is a bit like being an expectant father, not quite knowing when it'll all happen."
A distant relative of the British lily, the titan is capable of growing to a size of 3m (9ft 8in.)
Anyone keen to track the titan's progress can follow it through the Eden Project webcam.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7084633.stm |
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| rynner Location: Still above sea level Gender: Male |
| Posted: 11-01-2008 23:06 Post subject: |
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Mayby babies...! 
'Corpse plant' makes deadly fruit
One of the world's smelliest flowers has produced a fruit at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
The rare titan arum, also known as the corpse flower because of its pungent smell, flowered in November and was pollinated by the project's gardeners.
It is now producing a fruit head of vibrant orange berries, thanks to the work of horticulturalist Tim Grigg.
But no-one will be tucking into titan fruit because it is potentially deadly to humans.
The titan arum has been nurtured by Mr Grigg for nine years.
He used a paintbrush to reach inside the giant flower head and pollinate it.
He said: "I couldn't believe that the pollination worked. At the time I wasn't sure, I'm really happy and excited."
The head will grow bigger and change colour from orange to red when it is ripe.
Cure hope
But although the plant is poisonous to humans, any seeds will be extracted and used to grow more plants.
And they could also benefit people in the future as the plant is thought to have healing properties.
Tony Moore, professor of biochemistry at the University of Sussex, said: "It contains a protein that is also found in human parasites such as the ones that cause African sleeping sickness.
"Understanding the structure of this protein may enable us to develop new compounds to help to fight the disease."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7183556.stm |
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