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Kicker - Look but don’t smell

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WORLD Radio - Kicker - Look but don’t smell

Rare ‘corpse flower’ draws more than a thousand people to watch it bloom


People line up to take photos with a rare corpse flower in Alameda, Calif., on May 17, 2021. Peter Hartlaub/San Francisco Chronicle Photo via Associated Press

NICK EICHER, HOST: Spring has sprung—you’ve no doubt enjoyed colorful flowers in bloom…

But I doubt you’ve run across a rare plant native to Sumatra. One that drew more than 1,200 admirers in San Francisco.

Maybe “admire” isn’t quite the right choice, given the revolting smell this plant gives off.

The scent of its bloom—the odor—has the same chemicals in it as does limburger cheese, garlic, rotting fish, and sweaty socks.

Now you know why the plant’s known as the “corpse flower.”

Nursery owner Solomon Leyva decided to showcase the unusual plant.

Leyva explained just how rare it is to local tv station KGO.

LEYVA: This is a tree-like looking plant with a really wide canopy, and it produces it over and over every year until the bulb has sort of enough energy for it to bloom. This can take 10 years. This can take 15. This can take 20.

The bloom only lasts for about a day, so when you get the chance, you gotta hustle. And maybe put that Covid mask back on!

It’s The World and Everything in It.


WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.

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