‘Corpse Plant’ Fails to Live Up to Expectations
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Cal State Fullerton’s rare titan arum plant, which was supposed to bloom this week and fill the air with an odor like that of rotting flesh, still had not done so as of Friday.
“It’s very personal. We know it is going to open sooner or later, but not all things are controlled by man,” said Greg Dyment, director of the campus arboretum, where the so-called corpse flower is on display. “We can’t fax it and tell it to open. It will do it when it’s ready.”
The plants flower sporadically, and only about 20 have ever bloomed in the United States. So, despite the stench, the event draws crowds.
Last year, another corpse flower on the same campus was a disappointment. It bloomed and stunk, as expected, but quickly wilted in the summer heat.
