Visit SF State's corpse flower
July 6, 2009 -- Update:
July 6, 10 a.m. SF State's corpse flower bloomed over
the holiday weekend and produced the foul odor that the plant is known for. There
will be a last public viewing of the flower on Monday, July 6 from 2 p.m. to
6 p.m. The plant's odor reached its peak on July 5 and is now fading. Over
the next week, the spadix (the central spike) will collapse and the plant
won't bloom again for several years.
Update:
July 4, 3:30 p.m. The corpse flower has begun to bloom and will be open
to the public on July 4 until 6 p.m. Additional hours will be held July 5 from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
SF State's corpse flower in bloom.
The corpse flower, or Titan Arum, is famous for its death-like stench and its huge central flower structure. The plants, which grow in the wild only in Indonesian rainforests, flower on an unpredictable schedule, once enough energy has been accumulated, and bloom for only a 24 to 48 hour period. SF State's corpse flower is expected to bloom in the next few days.
The plant is growing in the University's new state-of-the-art greenhouse. The twelve-room facility houses cool humid, warm humid and arid plant collections and supports cutting-edge research in rain forest conservation, drought resistance, native California plants such as the Manzanita and pollination biology. Admission to the greenhouse is free.
The greenhouse is located north of Hensill Hall on SF State's main campus and can be found on the campus map at: http://www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap/
Check for corpse flower updates from SF State News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SFState_News
-- Elaine Bible
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