The “corpse flower,” one of the world’s largest and most unusual flowers, is blooming at University of California, Davis, a spectacle that last year attracted thousands.

Last summer, about 5,000 people came out to see the bloom, which stands about 4-feet-tall and smells like rotting flesh.

The conservatory will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The greenhouse will remain open until 10 p.m. Friday night to accommodate the extra crowds. The bloom will last as long as five days before collapsing.

The conservatory is located just north of Storer Hall on the UC Davis campus.

The rare blooming of the Amorphophallus titanum – known affectionately as “Ted the Titan,” also occurred in 2003 and attracted about 3,000 spectators.

“What’s really exciting this time, is that it is going to happen on the weekend when there will be no problem with parking,” said Ernesto Sandoval, a curator of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory.

During the week, when classes are in session parking is limited and there is a charge. Parking is free on the weekends, Sandoval said.

After the petal-like layers begin to unfurl around the thick 4-foot-high stalk, maroon insides are exposed releasing the rotting-flesh fragrance that is intended to attract insects for pollination.

Ted the Titan was planted from seed in 1995. Its first bloom was four years ago. “Tabatha,” another titan arum in the conservatory, flowered in 2004. In 2005, Ted went on the road to the San Francisco conservatory of Flowers.

The plant has been a regular draw for dozens of curious onlookers who come out for its unusual appearance as well as its smell that peaks overnight to lure lusting, pollinating flies, Sandoval said. The plant is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

For more information : http://greenhouse.ucdavis.edu/conservatory/index.html

source : www.sacbee.com