Posted on 07/29/16
| News Source: VIN
New York - A foul smelling plant known as the “corpse flower” is finally blooming at the New York Botanical Garden in New York City.
The rare blooming began Thursday afternoon after more than 10 years of growth. It’s native to Sumatra’s equatorial rain forests, and emits an odor like rotting flesh while it’s briefly in bloom.
It’s one of the largest flowers on earth and can reach 6 feet in height. It emits the stench to attract pollinators.
The bloom at its peak only lasts about 24 to 36 hours — and it could be years before the flower blooms again.
Two boys survey the water surrounding the rare Corpse flower, one of the earth's largest flowers, which is about to bloom during a brief 24 to 36-hour period, inside the Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden, Thursday, July 28, 2016, in New York. The unusual plant is named for the pungent smell of released by it's enormous inflorescence, which releases a scent that smells like rotting flesh to attract flies. The garden says the last time this species bloomed there was in 1939. This particular plant was ten years in the making. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)