LCHIEN
At the Houston Museum of Natural Science they have a rare Sumatran plant called a Amorphophallus Titanum also nicknamed the "Corpse Flower". This particular one is named Lois.
Now this is really interesting because it's blooming right now which happens only rarely - its been recorded happening in the US only 28 times and is a rare event even in its native Sumatra jungles. That's because the plant is rare in and of itself and it only blooms for a day or two every 5-10 years.
Its also fascinating because of its name which is roughly translated as a giant artificial sex organ and which is because of its size (nearly six foot bloom) and appearance (like a huge Johnson), and because when the bloom unfurls it has a beautiful purple inside and it stinks to high heaven like rotten meat, hence the common name corspe flower. The stink attracts beetles to its insides to help in pollination.
Here's what it looked like a few days ago - it's been expected to bloom for over a week now and its teasing the public. The museum has been open 24/7 and racking up huge crowds.
and its partly open state today (it will unfurl all the way eventually):
Here's the current Stinkometer (its got a long way to go):
Peek inside to see the purple color
Here's one that bloomed elseswhere - what it will look like when fully open:
You can watch in on the HMNS.org website, blogs, live web cam, history and picture gallery.
Now this is really interesting because it's blooming right now which happens only rarely - its been recorded happening in the US only 28 times and is a rare event even in its native Sumatra jungles. That's because the plant is rare in and of itself and it only blooms for a day or two every 5-10 years.
Its also fascinating because of its name which is roughly translated as a giant artificial sex organ and which is because of its size (nearly six foot bloom) and appearance (like a huge Johnson), and because when the bloom unfurls it has a beautiful purple inside and it stinks to high heaven like rotten meat, hence the common name corspe flower. The stink attracts beetles to its insides to help in pollination.
Here's what it looked like a few days ago - it's been expected to bloom for over a week now and its teasing the public. The museum has been open 24/7 and racking up huge crowds.
and its partly open state today (it will unfurl all the way eventually):
Here's the current Stinkometer (its got a long way to go):
Peek inside to see the purple color
Here's one that bloomed elseswhere - what it will look like when fully open:
You can watch in on the HMNS.org website, blogs, live web cam, history and picture gallery.
Loring in Katy, TX USA
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