homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Extremely rare and stinky flower will blossom in Denver for the first time in 15 years

It’s big, it’s beautiful… and it reeks. Amorphophallus titanum, more commonly known as the corpse flower, is the flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, and it often requires over 7 years to bloom. For this particular flower in Denver, it took 15. The flower will not only delight visitors with its unique look, […]

Alexandra Gerea
August 19, 2015 @ 12:25 pm

share Share


It’s big, it’s beautiful… and it reeks. Amorphophallus titanum, more commonly known as the corpse flower, is the flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, and it often requires over 7 years to bloom. For this particular flower in Denver, it took 15. The flower will not only delight visitors with its unique look, but will also threaten all noses with a distinct rotten meat smell.

A Corpse Flower in bloom in Boston, 2014. Image via Inhabitat.

The titan arum grows in the wild only in the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, but it’s artificially grown in several places across the world. The first documented flowerings in the United States were at New York Botanical Garden in 1937 and 1939, and the number of cultivated plants has significantly increased in recent years. In 2003, the tallest bloom in cultivation, some 2.74 m (8 ft 11 in) high, was achieved at the Botanical Garden of the University of Bonn in Germany.

Basically, every time it blossoms, it’s a big deal; it’s a rare event and people crowd to see it – despite the disgusting odor has an important role. It attracts beetles and flesh flies which help the plant to pollinate. If you want to see it without witnessing the smell, check out this YouTube live feed from KUSA Denver.

share Share

This Superbug Learned How to Feed on Plastic from Hospitals

Hospitals might be unknowingly feeding their worst microbial enemies.

China's Tiangong space station has some bacteria that are unknown to science

These aren't the first bacteria to be discovered in space but they are particularly well-adapted for space station life.

Hidden Communication Devices Found in Chinese-Made Inverters Could Put U.S. Electrical Grid at Risk

U.S. experts uncover rogue communication devices inside solar inverters and batteries

Patients on Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy May Say They Just Don’t Want to Drink Anymore

Researchers discover semaglutide and liraglutide cut drinking by two-thirds in real-world trial

Why Some People Never Get Lost — and Others Always Do

It’s not really in your genes that much. It’s how you live, explore, and pay attention.

RFK Jr, Nation’s Top Health Official, Refuses to Recommend the Measles Vaccine, Says 'I Don’t Think People Should Be Taking Medical Advice from Me'

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won’t say whether he’d vaccinate his kids today.

The key to healthy aging? Just eat different types of carbs

Fiber-rich, whole plant foods are the star of the show.

More People Are Dying from Broken Heart Syndrome Than Anyone Realized

New study finds 'broken heart syndrome' as fatal as it is misunderstood

Everything You Need to Know About Bird Flu

How dangerous is it? Where did it come from? H5N1 influenza’s origins stretch back to the 1990s, and key events paved the way for the outbreak we’re seeing today.

This beautiful rock holds evidence of tsunamis from 115 million years ago

The waves that shook the world 115 million years ago left behind an amber trail.