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- San Francisco Chronicle
Rare flower that smells like rotten flesh to bloom in S.F. Spare your nose and watch the livestream
The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers has launched a livestream of one of its famously stinky corpse flowers, allowing fans to watch the rare bloom without enduring its pungent smell.
The plant, also known as titan arum or the amorphophallus titanum, is expected to unfurl within a week, according to an Instagram post from the historic Golden Gate Park greenhouse, which houses a total of five of the plants. Scientists have nicknamed this particular one Chanel.
Chanel's livestream began Tuesday, July 1, on the Gardens of Golden Gate Park YouTube channel. It shows a birdseye view of the plant, which has been roped off, as visitors cycle through the space.
Those who want to get a closer look, or take a whiff of the phallic-shaped plant once it blooms, can still visit the Conservatory of Flowers in person between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Thursdays through Tuesdays.
Titan arum is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and is considered endangered by the International Union of the Conservation of Nature. It spends years cycling through dormancy and growth phases, during which it produces a giant leaf that can reach up to 15 feet tall. This process can occur multiple times over several years before the plant accumulates enough energy to bloom.
Its bloom only lasts for about 24 to 48 hours During the first evening, its putrid odor, which has been compared to the smell of rotten flesh, releases to attract pollinators such as carrion flies and beetles.
After the event, it can take between three to five years for the plant to bloom again.
The Conservatory confirmed on Friday, June 27 that Chanel will bloom soon, distinguishable by the plant's tall central spike, called a spadix, poking out through its ruffly spathe leaves.
Chanel last bloomed in 2022. Scarlet, another one of the Conservatory of Flowers' titan arums, bloomed in 2023, while the California Academy of Sciences ' corpse flower bloomed last year. Both were livestreamed.
