To see and... wither. At the San Marino Botanical Garden, hundreds of visitors came to see the blooming of a "corpse" flower.

On August 27, the "corpse" flower or Amorphophallus titanum bloomed at Huntington Botanical Gardens, California. Its blooming period lasts only a few days. That's why there were a lot of people willing to smell the unusual odor and see the exotic plant - whole crowds. It seems that natural curiosities amaze people more than ordinary everyday things.

According to The Huntington Library, which combines a library, museum and botanical garden, the "corpse" flower is in the garden's greenhouse, a special room. The plant has this name because of its foul odor during blooming. Unfortunately or fortunately, it only blooms for up to three days a year.

Amorphophallus titanum comes from the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. And is considered the largest flower in the world. It can grow up to 8 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter. It emits a foul odor of rotting meat when it blooms. The flower attracts nocturnal pollinators such as meat flies and carrion beetles.

No one can predict when the plant will bloom, the botanical garden says. But seeing it happen is a real treat. Well, it looks like some Californians are in luck. But it's the researchers who are happiest of all. It's the blooms that allow them to learn about this little-known plant. And thus protect rare and endangered species from extinction.

The "cadaver" flower was first seen in California in 1999. It was the 11th recorded bloom of Amorphophallus titanum in the United States. Since that event, Huntington Botanical Gardens has always shared blooms of this stinking beauty with the public.

Socium.Network team is always happy to share interesting news. Thank you for reading us and, let's face it, beauty is a terrible force!

Image: huntington.org