2 Corpse Flowers Expected To Bloom At The Huntington Library In San Marino This Week
SAN MARINO (CBSLA) — Get ready to hold your noses again – not one, but two corpse flowers are getting ready to give off their dreadful stench this week, just a couple of weeks after one bloomed at the Huntington Library in San Marino.
Green Boy and Stinkie are expected to bloom late this week, as their growth has already begun to slow down, according to officials from the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens.
It can take a corpse flower as much as 18 years to mature, but once it reaches maturity, it can bloom every four to six years, the Huntington Library's Botanic Specialist Brandon Tam said. And when it does bloom, the corpse flower gives off a stench redolent of rotting flesh, which is apparently perfect for attracting pollinators like flesh flies, carrion beetles, and sweat bees.
The pungent pair's bloom follows just a few weeks after Stankosaurus Rex gave the world a whiff of its putrid pulchritude. The library's corpse flower #12 bloomed on the evening of July 5, peaking at about 4 a.m. the next morning. Because even though it takes years for the corpse flower to bloom, the stinky sight lasts only up to 36 hours.
The corpse flower, which is native to Sumatra and Indonesia, is considered to be an endangered species with just 1,000 left in the wild, Tam said. Seedlings have been distributed to botanic gardens throughout the country, and the Huntington Gardens has 43 seedlings.
"So we can have one bloom in each year," Tam said.
The two corpse flowers are available for in-person viewing at limited capacity and masks starting Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the library's Conservatory. Reservations are not required on weekdays.
However, for corpse flower fans who just want to watch the magic happen – and not smell it – The Huntington has a livestream available online on their website and YouTube.
