San Francisco Flocks to Rare Corpse Flower Bloom

The California Academy of Sciences hosts its first-ever bloom of the endangered corpse flower, drawing large crowds eager to experience its unique scent.

• The corpse flower, named Mirage, began blooming at the California Academy of Sciences, marking the museum's first bloom of this rare plant.
• Visitors lined up to smell the flower's powerful stench, described as a mix of rotten flesh, sweaty feet, and porta potty.
• The bloom, lasting one to three days, is a rare event for the corpse flower, which blooms once every seven to ten years.
• The Amorphophallus titanum is native to Sumatra, Indonesia, and is listed as endangered with fewer than 1,000 individuals left in the wild.
• Biologist Tim Wong and horticulturist Lauren Greig provided insights into the plant's unique blooming process and its role in attracting pollinators with its odor.

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