Flowers are symbolic of fragrance, freshness, and beauty. They come in bright colours, with smells that soothe the mind and add just the right decor to gardens, outdoors, and balconies.But can you imagine a gigantic flower with a smell so unpleasant that it can be compared to rotten eggs, old gym socks, or rotting fish?It seems like a literary description of something unimaginable, but it is true indeed.Recently, Corpse flowers bloomed in Southern California, and numerous visitors gathered to witness the rare sight where not one but two of these flowers bloomed simultaneously, and this was a once-in-a-few-years opportunity for curious spectators.
Photo: Reuters
Two Corpse flowers rarely bloomed simultaneously
Two titan arums, popularly known as corpse flowers, bloomed simultaneously at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. The plants, nicknamed Odorysseus and Odora, opened over the weekend in the city and drew more than 7,000 visitors on the following Monday alone, according to The Guardian.
Why is a corpse flower bloom rare in nature?
Each bloom of the Corpse flower lasts only 24 to 48 hours, peaking overnight before gradually closing the next day. Once staff noticed the plants beginning to unfurl on Sunday afternoon, they alerted the public so people could rush to catch the spectacle before it faded.Advance tickets sold out by late Monday morning, and according to Brandon Tam, curator of the Huntington’s orchid collection, said to The Guardian, “People who lined up for three hours in our line just to see the corpse flowers for just a few minutes.”Tam added that the experience left a lasting impression on visitors, “People started to fall in love, if they haven’t already been falling in love, with plants because of this poster child of a plant that has led people to better understand that plants have a life of their own,” he said.
Why does it have a bizarre nickname?
The titan arum gets its unpleasant nickname from the odour it releases while blooming, often compared to rotting flesh, rotten eggs, or old gym socks.That smell isn’t an accident; it’s a smart survival strategy, drawing in carrion beetles and flesh flies that pollinate the plant in its native habitat. The species is found only in the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, and is officially endangered.Despite its name, the corpse flower isn’t a single bloom but a towering flowering structure made up of hundreds of tiny flowers, capable of growing beyond 12 feet tall. Once it finishes flowering, the structure collapses and the plant enters a dormant phase that can last for years before it blooms again.
The Huntington’s Titan Arums
The Huntington has been cultivating titan arums for more than 25 years and now maintains over 43 mature specimens, many descended from a single plant successfully pollinated in 2002. “In 2002, we pollinated a corpse flower, which produced hundreds of fruits and therefore hundreds of seeds that we would propagate,” Tam explained.Those seedlings were later shared with other botanical gardens across the US as part of ongoing efforts to conserve the species, of which fewer than 1,000 are believed to survive in the wild, per ABC7’s report.The Huntington has now publicly exhibited 29 corpse flower blooms since acquiring its first plant in 1999, more than any other institution in the western United States, according to MyNewsLA. The double bloom will remain on display at the Huntington until early August.
