TBD

TBD on Ning

Anyone cool enough to go see the corpse flower with me?

HOUSTON—Hundreds of people have shown up at the Museum of Natural Science over the past few days to watch the corpse flower bloom.
Originally, horticulturists Zac Stayton hoped "Lois" would open on Sunday. As of Monday night, though, people were still waiting.
Stayton compared the waiting to that of being at a hospital for childbirth.
"She’s telling us she’s ready but we can’t force her," said Stayton.
The museum will stay open round the clock until "Lois" blooms.
Named after a former employee’s mother, Lois has grown to more than five feet and is getting bigger by the hour.
The Amorphophallus titanum, otherwise known as a corpse flower, has only opened 28 times in the entire country’s history. When Lois blooms, it will be the second time ever in Texas.
Maud Lipscomb heard about the rare plant at the museum and showed up to see the bloom.
"It’s almost extinct and we get a chance to see it," said Lipscomb. "So I have to come back."
When in bloom, the flower—native to the Indonesian Island of Sumatra—dazzles the eyes and offends the nose. Visitors to the museum Sunday were excited about both experiences.
"I’d like to see how it looks when it’s in bloom and the smell," said visitor Michael Sony. "I just wanna experience it."
Experts who have seen one of these flowers bloom in the past describe the smell as a combination of cooking cabbage and the stench of a dead rat in the wall. The purpose of the strong odor is to attract pollinating beetles wanting to lay eggs.
Nancy Greig, director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center, is running the exhibit. She said the interest has been through the roof.
"It’s the biggest, the smelliest and it fires people’s imagination. People keep asking ‘when is it gonna open, when is it gonna open?’ We have never experienced this," admitted Greig.
Once Lois does open, her stink will last up to 12 hours. Her beauty, though, will be on display for two days.

Tags: Texas

Views: 8

Replies to This Discussion

If I were closer, I'd go....would like to see it..
That entire press release reads like something a couple of smirking wise-asses came up with for an "Onion" article. ]

I'm sorry, but "Once Lois does open, her stink will last up to 12 hours. Her beauty, though, will be on display for two days.", just pushes all the wrong buttons.
That would be quite an experience. I would wear washable clothing.

Since I am not close enough to see it in person, I'll wait until fall for one of our local stinkers, the Phallus impudicus.

:-D good one...!

It appears to be a late bloomer. It is starting to bloom. I contacted Pru last night and informed her of the blooming. She checked it out on the web and said smelled like cupcakes. I look on website this morning, noon and evening at the office but just smelled like my office.
Right before the beetles come.
I hear that's where beetle juice comes from.
George and I would definitely go see the corpse flower with you if we lived in Houston.
It appears that she is only partially open so far, and the Stink-O-Meter is registering only at three. The drama continues!
She appears to be holding out for the wedding reservation there. How would you like to go to a wedding that smell like a dead person. Hope the buffet is not down wind of Lois.

RSS

Badge

Loading…

© 2024   Created by Aggie.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service