Comments on: The Corpse Flowers of Sumatra http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Mon, 20 May 2013 00:09:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-523520 Antinous / Moderator Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-523520 Natural gas is odorless. That smell is added by the gas company so that you will notice the leak. Natural gas is odorless. That smell is added by the gas company so that you will notice the leak.

]]> By: Verre http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522767 Verre Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522767 For those in the Bay Area who would like a look (or whiff) of one of these up close, apparently the corpse flower in the Berkeley Botanical Garden is about to bloom any day now! http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/program/event_des/plant_hap/TrudyReturns.html For those in the Bay Area who would like a look (or whiff) of one of these up close, apparently the corpse flower in the Berkeley Botanical Garden is about to bloom any day now!

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/program/event_des/plant_hap/TrudyReturns.html

]]> By: alphabomb http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522769 alphabomb Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522769 Fun Fact: "The popular name titan arum was invented by the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, for his BBC TV series The Private Life of Plants, in which the flowering and pollination of the plant were filmed for the first time. Attenborough felt that constantly referring to the plant as Amorphophallus on a popular TV documentary would be inappropriate" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_arum Fun Fact:

“The popular name titan arum was invented by the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, for his BBC TV series The Private Life of Plants, in which the flowering and pollination of the plant were filmed for the first time. Attenborough felt that constantly referring to the plant as Amorphophallus on a popular TV documentary would be inappropriate”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_arum

]]> By: Takuan http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522770 Takuan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522770 try calling your beloved "my little rafflesia" in tender moments and see how long you can get away with it. try calling your beloved “my little rafflesia” in tender moments and see how long you can get away with it.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522774 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522774 i think one of these just bloomed for the first time in 10 years in Pasadena. http://www.huntington.org/thehuntington_full.aspx?id=4132 i think one of these just bloomed for the first time in 10 years in Pasadena.

http://www.huntington.org/thehuntington_full.aspx?id=4132

]]> By: Miguel S. http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-523033 Miguel S. Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-523033 Neat! I've been working on a game about Guerrilla Gardening and decided awhile ago to use Amorphophallus as the base for a preternaturally sweet smelling flower used to attract people for a bit of ironic botanical humour. It was fun turning the plant into 16-bit era pixel art. You can spot two of them in the screenshot in this <A HREF="http://guerrillagardening.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/my-first-time-doing-real-life-guerrilla-gardening/">post on my dev blog</A> Neat! I’ve been working on a game about Guerrilla Gardening and decided awhile ago to use Amorphophallus as the base for a preternaturally sweet smelling flower used to attract people for a bit of ironic botanical humour. It was fun turning the plant into 16-bit era pixel art.

You can spot two of them in the screenshot in this post on my dev blog

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522778 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522778 The one at Huntington Botanincal Gardens just died. http://ocpets.freedomblogging.com/2009/06/18/ok-its-not-an-animal-but-it-sure-stunk-like-a-dead-one/ Funny how you can never notice something and then see two stories on it within hours! The one at Huntington Botanincal Gardens just died. http://ocpets.freedomblogging.com/2009/06/18/ok-its-not-an-animal-but-it-sure-stunk-like-a-dead-one/

Funny how you can never notice something and then see two stories on it within hours!

]]> By: Torley http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522781 Torley Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522781 Hm, plants that smell like meat. I wonder if that has any beneficial applications for vegetarians. Hm, plants that smell like meat. I wonder if that has any beneficial applications for vegetarians.

]]> By: 3.14chan http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522782 3.14chan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522782 I had a cactus with a dark purple star shaped hairy flower... It smelled like shi- I had a cactus with a dark purple star shaped hairy flower… It smelled like shi-

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522788 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522788 One of these just died from over watering at a botanical garden in Orange County CA. And here I was getting ready to take the kids. One of these just died from over watering at a botanical garden in Orange County CA. And here I was getting ready to take the kids.

]]> By: Osprey101 http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522789 Osprey101 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522789 And for those of you that can't do without, yes- they sell corms of A. titanum on eBay. And for those of you that can’t do without, yes- they sell corms of A. titanum on eBay.

]]> By: drscience http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522796 drscience Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522796 Learning about these plants were one of the best part of the botany class I took last semester. They're actually in the same family (Rafflesiaceae) and so are pretty closely related. A lot of plants are pollinated by flies and do the same sort of heating up/looking/smelling like rotten meat. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Skunk_Cabbage">Skunk cabbage (<em>Symplocarpus foetidus</em>)</a> which is quite common in my area (NE USA) is one of the earliest blooming plants and produces enough heat to actually melt its way through the snow. It also smells terrible, but only if you step on it. Learning about these plants were one of the best part of the botany class I took last semester. They’re actually in the same family (Rafflesiaceae) and so are pretty closely related.

A lot of plants are pollinated by flies and do the same sort of heating up/looking/smelling like rotten meat. Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) which is quite common in my area (NE USA) is one of the earliest blooming plants and produces enough heat to actually melt its way through the snow. It also smells terrible, but only if you step on it.

]]> By: drscience http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522799 drscience Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522799 Oops...looks like I got my families mixed up. <em>Amorophophallus titanum</em> is actually in the same family as the skunk cabbage (Araceae), which is different from Rafflesia. Oops…looks like I got my families mixed up. Amorophophallus titanum is actually in the same family as the skunk cabbage (Araceae), which is different from Rafflesia.

]]> By: Mitch http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522805 Mitch Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522805 The respirator is a bit much. They have some at the university here and lots of people come to see it- without respirators. The respirator is a bit much. They have some at the university here and lots of people come to see it- without respirators.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522810 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522810 The newspapers report it each year when the flower blooms in Berkeley. The newspapers report it each year when the flower blooms in Berkeley.

]]> By: Lobster http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522811 Lobster Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522811 #12, do they come to see it in full bloom, and are they around it all day? She could be a botanist. #12, do they come to see it in full bloom, and are they around it all day? She could be a botanist.

]]> By: 3.14chan http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522819 3.14chan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522819 #14 but when you are at something all day you get used to the smell #14 but when you are at something all day you get used to the smell

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522838 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522838 Saw one of those bloom at the University of Wisconsin Madison a few years ago. Saw one of those bloom at the University of Wisconsin Madison a few years ago.

]]> By: horsepj http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522840 horsepj Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522840 I have a Stapelia gigantea (starfish flower) that blooms for me twice a year. It has a rather rank smell and maggots often appear in the center. I have a Stapelia gigantea (starfish flower) that blooms for me twice a year. It has a rather rank smell and maggots often appear in the center.

]]> By: NidSquid http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-523105 NidSquid Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-523105 This article made me long for the future when we can click a link to smell something! This article made me long for the future when we can click a link to smell something!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522864 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522864 #5 : I think you'll find the one in the Huntington gardens is still rotting just fine. It's the one in Fullerton that's been drowned as #8 pointed out. #5 : I think you’ll find the one in the Huntington gardens is still rotting just fine. It’s the one in Fullerton that’s been drowned as #8 pointed out.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-523892 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-523892 I am a big fan of amorphophallus and it's many varieties. I grow 4 different types. The tallest grows to about 5 feet tall and 5ft across. Spectacular plants that are easy to grow. Rafflessia depends on a specific host plant because of it parasitic nature. Easy to grow and some varieties are hardy here in southern NJ. A. Titanum is avaiable for under $50.00 in many catalogs. Glenn Hudson I am a big fan of amorphophallus and it’s many varieties. I grow 4 different types. The tallest grows to about 5 feet tall and 5ft across. Spectacular plants that are easy to grow. Rafflessia depends on a specific host plant because of it parasitic nature. Easy to grow and some varieties are hardy here in southern NJ. A. Titanum is avaiable for under $50.00 in many catalogs. Glenn Hudson

]]> By: visibleprocrastinations http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522871 visibleprocrastinations Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522871 Managed to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eltham_mob/308593312/in/set-72157594395851935/">see a Raffelasia</a> in the wild while we were in Sabah in 2006. Certainly a worthwhile experience if you are in the neighbourhood. #3 I think you'd have to have a death wish to call your your beloved "my little rafflesia" (especially when she is a botanist!) Managed to see a Raffelasia in the wild while we were in Sabah in 2006. Certainly a worthwhile experience if you are in the neighbourhood.

#3 I think you’d have to have a death wish to call your your beloved “my little rafflesia” (especially when she is a botanist!)

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522877 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522877 The University of Bonn (Germany) has an Amorphophallus Titanus, called "Titanenwurz" in German. It drew quite a lot of attention as it blossomed in 2003; I wanted to see it (advertised as the largest flower of the world), but it was nearly impossible to get in because the queue of people was so long. It was 274cm high and weighted 78 kg at that year. Here is a gallery of the event: http://www.botgart.uni-bonn.de/o_samm/gal03.html Quite a show. :) The University of Bonn (Germany) has an Amorphophallus Titanus, called “Titanenwurz” in German.

It drew quite a lot of attention as it blossomed in 2003; I wanted to see it (advertised as the largest flower of the world), but it was nearly impossible to get in because the queue of people was so long. It was 274cm high and weighted 78 kg at that year.

Here is a gallery of the event: http://www.botgart.uni-bonn.de/o_samm/gal03.html

Quite a show. :)

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522879 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522879 #14, that's not funny. i know two entire families that were killed when they smelled something unpleasant. #14, that’s not funny. i know two entire families that were killed when they smelled something unpleasant.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522918 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522918 My wife who has a black thumb, was given some bulbs of a small flowering plant called "Paper Whites"..She was really excited that she got these to grow and bloom!! Her excited died when the flowers bloomed. They really smell just like ass. My wife who has a black thumb, was given some bulbs of a small flowering plant called “Paper Whites”..She was really excited that she got these to grow and bloom!! Her excited died when the flowers bloomed. They really smell just like ass.

]]> By: geobarefoot http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522919 geobarefoot Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522919 I've visited the Berkeley corpse flower a couple of times when they take it over to the SF Conservatory of Flowers. If I'm not mistaken, though the stench is overwhelming to most, not everyone can smell it. A genetic thing? I forget. I’ve visited the Berkeley corpse flower a couple of times when they take it over to the SF Conservatory of Flowers. If I’m not mistaken, though the stench is overwhelming to most, not everyone can smell it. A genetic thing? I forget.

]]> By: The Plant Geek http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-523175 The Plant Geek Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-523175 "Trudy the Titanum" has been returned to the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Trudy first bloomed in 2005 and is at best a few days from opening. Check out the website and take a look: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/program/event_des/plant_hap/TrudyReturns.html “Trudy the Titanum” has been returned to the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Trudy first bloomed in 2005 and is at best a few days from opening. Check out the website and take a look:

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/program/event_des/plant_hap/TrudyReturns.html

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522928 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522928 probably one of the most popular "weird" plants in existance. read two blogs about this plant today alone, and I've known about it for ages. it's also in the news on at least a yearly basis. probably one of the most popular “weird” plants in existance. read two blogs about this plant today alone, and I’ve known about it for ages. it’s also in the news on at least a yearly basis.

]]> By: cosanostradamus http://boingboing.net/2009/06/20/the-corpse-flowers-o.html#comment-522931 cosanostradamus Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-522931 . It just occurred to me how fortunate we are to have bees and birds to pollinate flowers. Imagine if they all died out. Picture if you will a planet covered in corpse-flowers instead of roses and jasmin. And I always thought my girlfriend the botanist was being nice when she said my unit smelled like a flower. Now I'm not so sure. I'm going to work on my personal <a href="http://blog-me-no-blogs.blogspot.com/2009/06/american-feng-shui.html">feng shui.</a> I guess. . .
It just occurred to me how fortunate we are to have bees and birds to pollinate flowers. Imagine if they all died out. Picture if you will a planet covered in corpse-flowers instead of roses and jasmin.

And I always thought my girlfriend the botanist was being nice when she said my unit smelled like a flower. Now I’m not so sure.

I’m going to work on my personal feng shui. I guess.
.

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