Three corpse flower blooms at USBG [View all]
Another one, so soon? Try three of them.
Three corpse flower blooms at USBG
Three corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) plants, also known as titan arum or the stinky plant, are preparing to bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory. It is the first bloom for all three of the plants, which vary in age from five years up to 12 years old. This appears to be the first time in North America that an institution has three corpse flower plants all blooming at the same time.
The plants are now on view to the public. The first of the three corpse flowers is entering peak bloom.
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Photo of 2013 corpse flower bloom:
At the U.S. Botanic Garden, a pungent corpse flower brings a touch of the Gothic
The first of three corpse flowers on display at the U.S. Botanic Garden conservatory opened late Saturday and drew crowds on Sunday. (US Botanic Garden)
By Adrian Higgins August 20 at 3:06 PM
Not to be eclipsed by Mondays tango between the sun and the moon, the first of three corpse flowers opened unexpectedly Saturday night at the U.S. Botanic Garden and then spent Sunday in languid and stinky decline.
By noon its central spire had begun to droop and its ruffled cape became frayed at the edges. In spite of its retreat, the corpse flower, or titan arum, remained impressive as the worlds largest flower and drew thousands of visitors to the botanic gardens conservatory at 100 Maryland Ave. SW.
Word quickly spread on social media that the bloom had unfurled and a line had formed by the 10 a.m. opening time. As the number of visitors thickened, the potency of the blooms notorious pulsating odor began to wane. Those who did catch the smell likened it to very old fish.
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One thing is clear: These flowers have a mind of their own and predicting when they bloom, and for how long, is still more art than science. The garden has a
live video stream on its website.
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@adrian_higgins on Twitter
Adrian Higgins has been writing about the intersection of gardening and life for more than 25 years, and joined the Post in 1994. He is the author of several books, including the "Washington Post Garden Book" and "Chanticleer, a Pleasure Garden."
Follow @adrian_higgins