Stink Watch 2010: Corpse Flower About to Bloom

It's about to get stinky sometime early next month

A rare plant made famous for its foul odor is about to bloom at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino.

The Amorphophalius titanum or Titan Arum is popularly known as the "Corpse Flower". It's native to the rain forest of Sumatra, and
grows up to 6 feet tall.

The plant can go for many years without flowering, said The Huntington. So, you have to be in the right place, at the right time to see it. The bloom lasts one or two days. Experts at The Huntington can only estimate when its spectacular huge petals will open up.

It's expected to bloom sometime between June 5- and June 10.

If all goes as planned, this will be only the fourth time a Titan Arum has bloomed at The Huntington.

This latest plant is an offspring of the first Amorphophallus titanum ever to bloom in California. That happened at the Huntington in the summer of 1999 and made headlines world-wide.

"During its short bloom, Huntington botanists hand-pollinated the plant with its own pollen, using an experimental technique (self-pollination is normally impossible)", according to the garden's official website.

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So the gigantic "Corpse Flower" 2010 could attract big crowds, people curious to find out what the big stink is all about.

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