A corpse flower can be difficult to love — despite Houston going absolutely bonkers over the one at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in the summer of 2010. They're fickle and unpredictable, producing either a flower or leaf at the end of a period of (terribly boring) latency.
If they flower, they emit a gag-inducing scent of rotting flesh, stinking everything up and showing their beauty for just a few days. If they don't, they're a letdown.
Luckily, Morticia — one of seven Amorphophallus titanum tubers (corpse flowers) at Moody Gardens — didn't disappoint. The giant corpse flower officially began blooming in the Rainforest Pyramid on Wednesday evening, thus beginning her short, two-to-four day life cycle.
"The stench and beauty of this plant are equally amazing," Donnita Brannon said.
"The stench and beauty of this plant are equally amazing," Donnita Brannon, horticulture exhibit manager at Moody Gardens, said in a statement.
Standing 56 inches tall and 40 inches in circumference and colored a deep purple, Morticia has drawn crowds for days. But now she's showing signs of closing.
"The odor was very strong the night it bloomed, but now it comes in waves," Stephanie Chan, public relations coordinator for Moody Gardens, tells CultureMap.
Moody Gardens' Rainforest Pyramid will open early and close late for the rare occasion, with extended hours from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Go catch a peek and a whiff of Morticia while you still can! Or just remember, Lois — the rock star of corpse flowers —fondly.
