Kicker: The corpse flower

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today we have something really frightening for you, something that could scare people away faster than any costume!   

It’s a very rare plant known as the “corpse flower.” It gets its nickname from its putrid smell and it’s expected to bloom very soon in the greenhouse at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College.

The plant’s actual name is the titan arum. It’s native to Sumatra’s rainforests. It has a long, pointy stalk with a skirt-like covering and tiny yellow flowers at its base.

It blooms just for several days. When it does, it has an odor described as a decaying animal. The scent contains the same chemicals as limburger cheese, rotting fish, and sweaty socks. Now that’s scary!

EICHER: Sounds stinky!

REICHARD: It’s The World and Everything in It.

(Photo/BBC)

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