CLEVELAND — For just the fourth time in 25 years, the corpse flower inside the Rainforest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is about bloom, and it’s going to be a stinky situation to say the least. It's known as one of the rarest, smelliest and most unusual plants in the world.
Zoo officials are anxiously waiting for it to bloom, because when it finally does, it stinks for about 24 hours and can grow up to 10 feet.
The corpse flower at the Cleveland Zoo isn’t the only one creating a stink bomb for zoo-goers. Last week, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed the stinky ticking flower bomb and appropriately named it "Morticia."
Titan Arum, known as the corpse flower, is native to the island of Sumatra. The plant spends years gathering energy before it blooms and releases a smell like death, literally.
The Cincinnati Zoo describes the strong odor as a combination of Limburger cheese, garlic, rotting flesh and smelly feet.
While in bloom, the plant generates heat, around 90 degrees, and its odor attracts fresh flies and carrion beetles for pollination, according to Britannica.com.
The zoo doesn't know an exact bloom date, but it's already asking visitors to comment on their Facebook with their guesses.
