California: thousands flock to see pair of pungent corpse flowers bloom
Summary
Two rare corpse flowers bloomed at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Southern California, drawing over 7,000 visitors eager to see the plants’ short-lived flowering. These giant plants produce a strong smell like rotting flesh to attract insects that help pollinate them, and they are native to Indonesia.Key Facts
- Two titan arums, named Odorysseus and Odora, bloomed simultaneously at the Huntington in San Marino, California.
- More than 7,000 people visited on the first full day the flowers were open.
- Each flower bloom lasts only 1 to 2 days before closing again.
- The corpse flower smells like rotting flesh to attract pollinating insects like carrion beetles and flesh flies.
- It is a giant flower structure made of hundreds of small flowers and can grow over 12 feet tall.
- The Huntington has grown titan arums for over 25 years and currently has more than 43 mature plants.
- The flowers are endangered, with fewer than 1,000 believed to exist naturally in the wild.
- Seeds from the Huntington’s flowers are shared with other botanical gardens in the U.S. to help conserve the species.
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