ST. PAUL — The "corpse
flower" is blooming in St. Paul - and you can get a
whiff now. But you'd better hurry.
The rare flower, called a titan arum, is emitting its pungent
odor at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park Zoo.
Many liken the smell to that of rotting flesh.
The bloom happens once every 15 years and is expected to
last for only a day or two.
It's one of only about 125 recorded blooms worldwide since
the flower was discovered in the Indonesian rain forest
in the 1870s.
The bloom's stench helps attract pollinating insects that
normally feed on carrion.
The corpse flower has been cultivated in a greenhouse at
the conservatory since 2005. It's now been moved to a public
area where it can be seen and smelled.
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