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Author Topic:   Corpse Flower Blooms Early
Eleanore
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Posts: 1674
From: Japan
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 06, 2007 05:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Eleanore     Edit/Delete Message
Warm weather prompts Corpse Flower to bloom early Mon Feb 5, 2:15 PM ET


LONDON (Reuters) - Unseasonably warm weather may have tricked the world's smelliest plant into blooming in the middle of the northern hemisphere winter, botanists at the Eden Project where the native of Sumatra is housed, told Reuters.

The warmth of 2006 and mild winter to date have encouraged the Titan Arum or Corpse Flower into a phenomenal growth spurt and into flower -- an event that usually happens only once every six to nine years.

"The Titan, standing at 164 cms tall is now giving off a revolting stink," said curator Don Murray. "It is a cross between rotten cheese, dog poo and something dead."

"Tonight the flowers will be in full bloom -- as will the stench -- and that will last through Tuesday and Wednesday. But by Thursday it will have started to die back," he told Reuters from the project in Cornwall 220 miles southwest of London.

Murray said it was highly abnormal for the plant to flower in winter.

"Last year's unprecedented warm temperatures and high sunshine levels and the extremely mild winter we are currently experiencing have to be considered as a factor in this rare occurrence," he said.

The Corpse Flower is a native of central Sumatra and it uses its pungent attraction to entice the insects it needs for pollination.

The insects dive into the honeycomb-like stem that houses the flowers where they become trapped and covered in the plant's pollen.

After its brief but olfactorily memorable appearance the whole structure dies back, releasing the insects while the corm of the plant lying under the ground rests while it gathers the energy it will need to surge back into visible and pungent life.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070205/sc_nm/britain_corpseflower_weather_dc_1



What do you think? I find it a bit disturbing ... though I have always wanted to go see one. Interestingly for me, I was actually reading about them this past weekend.

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"You are not here to try to get the world to be just as you want it to be. You are here to create the world around you that you choose while you allow the world as others choose it to be to exist also." - Esther Hicks

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Nephthys
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Posts: 2931
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted February 09, 2007 10:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Nephthys     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Eleanore ~

We have one of those at UC Davis, and one at the Botanical Gardens at UC Berkeley.

They are huge and although they weren't in "scent" when I saw them, I've heard they do stink!

~Hope you're doing well and your doggie too. Didn't you have a baby recently? If not, sorry, I can't keep track.

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AWAKE
Shake dreams from your hair
My pretty child, my sweet one.
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
The day's divinity
First thing you see.
~James Douglas Morrison

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Eleanore
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Posts: 1674
From: Japan
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 12, 2007 07:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Eleanore     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Nephthys
That's so cool! I'd really like to see one in person ... but maybe not when they're in scent, either.

I am doing well, thanks for asking. Yes, I have a 19 month old. He's doing just great! And trust me, it's recently in my mind, too. He's still the "baby" around here.

Sadly, we no longer have our doggie. I don't know if you remember but we adopted him when I was pregnant. He was doing fine. But once our son was born he was just miserable and acting out. No matter what we tried, he just wasn't happy with us anymore. We took him to a training session and explained the problems he was having; things like growling and snapping at the baby, chewing the baby's clothes, refusing to go outside to do his business (and I mean refusing because I'd take him out at least 6 times a day and he'd run around them come right back in and do his business on our floor). We were recommended to maybe find him a home where he would be the only "baby" in the household and with someone willing to work through his fear issues with him which were likely due to the way he was treated before he was found and put in the shelter though we can't know for sure. We looked around and found a no-kill shelter that had space available and went to talk to them first, etc. They said they were sure that somebody would adopt him because they'd had other dogs with similar issues and they'd never had a problem. They actually have great success finding dogs homes.
It was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do and, as you can probably see, I still feel guilty about it. Thinking about it has brought me down. I hope he's happier now and has found a home that better suits his individual needs.
Sorry for the rant but this hasn't been easy to write about. Lots of people said we did the right thing, not just for him but for our son as well. I just still feel like we "failed".
Anyway, it's not your burden, sorry. Thanks for asking, though. Geez, I feel silly for having gone on this long.

How's school going for you, btw? I remember you being really busy before we moved. And how's your doggie? She really is beautiful and lucky to have you. You really have a great heart for animals.

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"You are not here to try to get the world to be just as you want it to be. You are here to create the world around you that you choose while you allow the world as others choose it to be to exist also." - Esther Hicks

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Nephthys
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Posts: 2931
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted February 15, 2007 10:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Nephthys     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Eleanore ~ I'm sure your dog found a good home. I wonder if he was jealous of the baby? I wouldn't feel bad, you had to satisfy both the dogs needs and the baby's needs, so it sounds like the no-kill shelter was a good choice and they could find him a home.

That's probably why I don't see you around at LL very much, because you have the baby, and also I don't get around much here either.

I am very busy and swamped with school. Thanks for asking about my dog too, she is good. We also got a new kitten 2 weeks before Christmas. He is really friendly, has a cute personality, and is fun.

Take care ~

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Randall
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Posts: 24138
From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted February 16, 2007 11:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message
How bad did it smell?

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"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." "I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Lewis Carroll

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Nephthys
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Posts: 2931
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted February 16, 2007 08:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Nephthys     Edit/Delete Message
Randall!

Are you asking me or Eleanore?

I personally didn't smell it, but I have heard that the smell is of stinky, dirty socks, and rotten meat!

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