A titan arum (aka corpse flower) at the Milwaukee Public Museum is expected to bloom the week of January 17:
When the museum’s other corpse flower bloomed in 2008, thousands of sinus-challenged visitors stopped in for a whiff and a gag. That belch-producing bulb teased audiences by springing up almost overnight to a height of 7 feet and then saying “Hosta la vista” by faking its own death. It resurrected itself and gave off a fragrance that has been compared with everything from rotting flesh to used baby diapers.
You can read more at Another corpse flower expected to bloom at Milwaukee Public Museum at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or check out the museum’s Titan Arum page (they’ve got recent images, and will reportedly have a stinky cam operating soon).
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Bleah, bleah.
Hmmmm. Looks like another example of where that scented car that blocks outside air filters would come in handy.
At least it happened to bloom in winter. That could truly be overpowering in the humid summer months.
It’s inside, but apparently they have some sort of gala dinner scheduled that week for the opening of another exhibit, so they’re kind of worried it will stink
Ha ha! “I hope that’s not the main course I’m smelling.”
Exactly!
Ha, this is great linkage! I’d never read anything about the corpse flower before and I can’t say I’m interested in catching a whiff firsthand…but fun to read and look at pictures (that thing is huuuuuuge — no wonder the smell permeates an entire area)
If you scroll through the corpse flower tag, you can find comments from readers who have smelled them…they do not sound pretty!
They could make a scent from it for the Goth croud, or pychopaths, it could be called “Phyco .
Don’t indoles en mass smell like rotting flesh?
It would also be good for entomologists.
They’ve been described as close to rotting flesh.
Feed me, Seymour!
Exactly!!
One of these bloomed at the Botanic Gardens in DC fairly recently. I never went to smell it but I have always thought these flowers to be very interesting. Just as sweet smelling flowers attract bees these carrion-smelling flowers attrack flies and other detravoirs ( sp) to carry their pollen. So I guess the moral of the story is: good smell is subjective.
Yes it is!
used baby diapers…
you know, after changing loads of diapers for my siblings when they were little, all i remember is that baby poop doesn’t stink anywhere near as much as adult poop…
True.
This article made me laugh out loud! I love that this plant’s parents were named “Big Bucky” and “Mr. Magnificent”. The museum reps have a good sense of humor about the whole thing.
Plus, we can watch it bloom in real time on “stinkycam”!
They really do!
I cannot resist “delurking” on a post that includes a “stinkycam” – thank you, Robin, for this irresistible link!
Hi and welcome!