One BIG Flower!

A friend of mine alerted me to this recent development in Río Blanco, Veracruz, México.

This flower is the biggest one in the world! Two meters high and weighing 75 kilos, it has the peculiarity of blooming only during three days every 40 years. Though found in many botanic gardens around the world it is still indigenous only to the tropical forests of Sumatra. The "fragrance" (uh....can you really call it that?!) of the inflorescence resembles rotting meat, attracting carrion-eating beetles and Flesh Flies (family Sarcophagidae) that pollinate it. Yummy!

Check out the video of this prized (and very temporary!) bloom in Veracruz, here.