7/17/2019, 11:06 a.m
A rare corpse flower at Washington State University began to reach full bloom on Monday. The flower is among the world’s largest and rarest. It has grown in a stairwell in WSU Vancouver’s Science and Engineering Building.
A rare corpse flower housed at Washington State University Vancouver started to bloom for its first time Monday and the public was invited in to take a look. On display outside the greenhouse at the east end of the WSU-Vancouver Science and Engineering Building, the flower’s progress was also on view via a webcam at youtube.com/wsuvancouver. The corpse flower is infamous for its odor—comparable to that of a decomposing animal. The bloom will last only 24 to 48 hours. The species (Latin name Amorphophallus titanum, also known as titan arum) is native to Sumatra, Indonesia’s rainforests, the only place in the world where it naturally grows. The flower’s odor is not without reason. It’s meant to attract pollinators and help ensure the continuation of the species. Dung beetles, flesh flies and other carnivorous insects that typically eat dead flesh are attracted to the corpse flower.
Comments