Corpse Flower Smelling of Rotten Flesh Blooms After 7 Years in Minnesota

By Ana Verayo, | February 02, 2016

The corpse plant will bloom again after seven years in the University of Minnesota.

The corpse plant will bloom again after seven years in the University of Minnesota.

The Corpse Flower will now bloom after seven years, releasing its noxious vapors at the University of Minnesota. This plant is reeking with exotic scents which is a native of the Sumatran rain forests found near the equator in Indonesia, as the plant now stands at six feet tall, releasing a notorious scent that is akin to rotting flesh.

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Also known as the Titan Arum and scientifically called Amorphophallus titanum, this tropical bloom uses this putrid smell to attract and stand out among chaotic smells of the rainforest for the sweat bee to pollinate the corpse flower. The bee can detect this stench from miles away.

Apart from its unique smell, it also produces a single leaf similar to a palm tree that can last up to on year. When this leaf curls up an die, the corpse flower takes center stage, emerging with its distinguishable aroma.

According to Lisa Aston Philander who is the Conservatory's curator, all around the world, botanical gardens would celebrate the blooming of a single corpse plant where more than ten thousand visitors line up to get a whiff of this detestable smell. The corpse plant is also considered as a thermogenic plant that can change its temperatures to warmer levels like humans, which is crucial for the odor to volatilize. With warmer environments, the plant develops more stink, where its scent can change over an estimated 48 hours, during the short time that the planet will be in bloom.   

This is considered to be a truly rare event since the Corpse Flower can only bloom for a few days before it goes dormant again, and until it is ready to emerge again with its not so delicate, pungent flower. The University of Minnesota's Conservatory is also home to the most diverse collection of plants in the region, boasting more than 1,200 species. This vast array of different plants and flowers from all over the world also include rare, endangered and invasive species that can be viewed by researchers, students and the public as well.

Beginning February 1, the College of Biological Sciences Conservatory at the University of Minnesota will be open for public viewing of the corpse flower. 

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