Uninvited Wedding Guests - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

genuinegirly · 07-23-2010, 06:23 AM

Didn't you dream of having the overwhelming smell of rotting flesh wafting through the air at your wedding?

Corpse Flowers like to bloom at just the wrong time.

UC Berkeley's botanical garden has a corpse flower about to bloom, and one just finished its stink-fest earlier this month. It's prime wedding season at their botanical garden, but someone at the associated press thought to write an article about the wedding that is affected by the corpse flower in Texas.

Enjoy!

Quote:

'Corpse Flower' Bloom Could Stink Up Texas Wedding
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:54 a.m. ET

HOUSTON (AP) -- The flower girl at Jessica Zabala's wedding is purple, six-feet-tall, uninvited and smells like dead bodies.

She is Lois, a rare ''corpse flower,'' deemed the world's stinkiest bud.

Lois is unexpectedly blooming in the Houston Museum of Natural Science, in the room right next to where Zabala is marrying Jonathan Smith on Saturday.

''I don't need a florist anymore,'' Zabala laughs. ''I've got Lois.''

The flower is an Amorphophallus titanum, which has only ever bloomed 29 times in the United States. It's happened twice in Texas, but never before at the museum's Cockrell Butterfly Center, which hosts about 50 weddings a year.

''I did not know that Lois was quietly sprouting in the greenhouse across the street,'' Zabala said, donning an ''I Love Lois'' button given to her by the museum.

Deforestation has left the flower endangered in its native tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, said Nancy Greig, the butterfly center's director. Six years ago, the center paid $75 for a ''little walnut-sized tuber'' from a Raleigh, N.C., nursery that specializes in exotic plants.

The flower's dead-body smell attracts the flies and beetles it needs to pollinate. Many only bloom once. It can only blossom after it is seven years old and weighs 30 pounds, exactly the size of Houston's plant.

Lois was about two-thirds of the way to full bloom by Thursday and between 3,000 and 4,000 people were visiting daily. She will only stay open about two days, and the smell generally dissipates within 12 hours, Greig said.

Museum experts initially thought she would bloom two weeks ago and Greig was certain the stench would overtake the museum by Thursday.

''But she has not turned on the funk yet,'' Greig said.

So Zabala and Smith remain uncertain. Will their wedding stink?

Lois will decide.

dogzilla · 07-23-2010, 07:01 AM

I visited a butterfly exhibit in central Massachusetts Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens in March of this year and they had a flower that if it wasn't this exact species, was similar. The smell from this flower was pretty noticeable when you got close to it and not that pleasant. It wasn't a scent I'd associate with flowers.

JStrider · 07-23-2010, 08:48 PM

I went and saw this flower Wednesday night. unfortunately(fortunately) it was only partially open and hadn't started smelling yet. but still an impressive flower.

edit: heres the webcam if your interested. http://www.hmnsmedia.org/CorpseFlower/

yournamehere · 07-24-2010, 12:10 PM

Must be a refreshing change if it's strong enough to mask the refineries.

raging moderate · 07-25-2010, 03:57 PM

I think that's pretty cool. i'd like to see that huge, stinky flower

Dr. Black · 07-26-2010, 02:12 PM

yeah I would like to see that flower, too far of a trip to see it for me, but it would be nice to see it at some point.

Giant Hamburger · 07-26-2010, 02:31 PM

My amorphophallus titanum only comes out at weddings where I have had too much vodka.

Sue · 07-26-2010, 10:11 PM

I had the completely wrong impression of what this thread was about until I looked this up on google images. Wow. I'm actually really curious to smell it at least once.

hiredgun · 07-27-2010, 12:10 AM

What I find most amusing about this is that 'zabala' more or less means 'garbage' in Arabic...

Sorry, I should really be sleeping...

genuinegirly · 07-27-2010, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiredgun

What I find most amusing about this is that 'zabala' more or less means 'garbage' in Arabic...

Ha! That add a bit of humor to the situation.

07-23-2010, 08:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
JStrider Poo-tee-weet? Location: The Woodlands, TX	I went and saw this flower Wednesday night. unfortunately(fortunately) it was only partially open and hadn't started smelling yet. but still an impressive flower. edit: heres the webcam if your interested. http://www.hmnsmedia.org/CorpseFlower/ __________________ -=JStrider=- ~Clatto Verata Nicto

07-24-2010, 12:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
yournamehere Invisible Location: tentative, at best	Must be a refreshing change if it's strong enough to mask the refineries. __________________ If you want to avoid 95% of internet spelling errors: "If your ridiculous pants are too loose, you're definitely going to lose them. Tell your two loser friends over there that they're going to lose theirs, too." It won't hurt your fashion sense, either.

07-25-2010, 03:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
raging moderate Insane Location: Whatever house my keys can get me into	I think that's pretty cool. i'd like to see that huge, stinky flower __________________ These are the good old days... formerly Murp0434

07-26-2010, 10:11 PM	#8 (permalink)
Sue Teufel Hunden's Freundin Location: Westminster, CO	I had the completely wrong impression of what this thread was about until I looked this up on google images. Wow. I'm actually really curious to smell it at least once. __________________ Teg yw edrych tuag adref.

07-23-2010, 07:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
dogzilla Junkie Location: New York	I visited a butterfly exhibit in central Massachusetts Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens in March of this year and they had a flower that if it wasn't this exact species, was similar. The smell from this flower was pretty noticeable when you got close to it and not that pleasant. It wasn't a scent I'd associate with flowers.

07-26-2010, 02:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dr. Black Upright	yeah I would like to see that flower, too far of a trip to see it for me, but it would be nice to see it at some point.

07-26-2010, 02:31 PM	#7 (permalink)
Giant Hamburger Gastrolithuanian Location: low-velocity Earth orbit	My amorphophallus titanum only comes out at weddings where I have had too much vodka.

07-27-2010, 12:10 AM	#9 (permalink)
hiredgun Addict	What I find most amusing about this is that 'zabala' more or less means 'garbage' in Arabic... Sorry, I should really be sleeping...