HOUSTON – Lou, the stinking corpse flower, is blooming at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
The museum said the plant is beginning to open and will be on exhibit this weekend.
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The plant only blooms every five years.
Known as amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the plant is originally found in Southeast Asia and Australia. It is in the Aroid family and is characterized by its inflorescence, consisting of a fleshy spike of small flowers. It is the third-largest blooming corpse flower.
The museum notes the fresh inflorescence emits an odor reminiscent of rotting flesh to attract pollinating carrion flies and beetles.
It takes about five years to flower and bloom and lasts up to 5 days.
You can see the corpse flower at The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Cockrell Butterfly Center, 5555 Hermann Park Drive, through April 29, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
