Corpse Flower to Bloom in Santa Barbara, Calif.

A corpse flower will bloom at the University of California, Santa Barbara within the next week.
Corpse Flower to Bloom in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Visitors crowd around a Titan arum, also known as the "corpse flower" in expectation of getting a whiff of it's characteristic blooming smell of rotting flesh, Monday, July 22, 2013, at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington. The smell had peaked in the very early morning hours, yet despite the lack of stink visitors streamed in to get a look at the unusual plant. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Jack Phillips
7/23/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

A corpse flower will bloom at the University of California, Santa Barbara within the next week.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — An Indonesian flower famous for its foul odor is expected to unfurl its putrid blossom within the next week at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The school says its greenhouse will be open to the public during the one-day blooming of the so-called corpse flower.

Unlike other flowers that rely on bees for pollination, this one counts on flies. It attracts them with the smell of rotting flesh, and they in turn spread its sticky pollen.

Its nauseating scent comes from two sulfur-producing chemicals within its leaves.

The UCSB plant is 4 feet tall and growing rapidly. A live webcam of the plant can be found on the school’s website.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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