One of the rarest events in botany, the blooming of the world's largest flower, can be seen around the world thanks to the Internet - and without the stench of rotting flesh that is the plant's hallmark.
The Amorphophallus titanum(titan arum) grows in the rainforests of Indonesia's central Sumatra, where it reaches heights of 20 feet (six metres).
It is often called the "corpse flower" for the stink that its bloom emits in order to attract carrion insects and flies, which act as pollinators. The smell can be detectable a kilometer (half a mile) away.
The University of Wisconsin at Madison has a titan arum in its greenhouse and placed on its website a webcam image, refreshed every 45 seconds, of the plant as its giant flower unfolds www.wisc.edu/botit/arum.
The titan arum was discovered in 1879 by an Italian botanist, Odoardo Beccari. He sent seeds to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, where the first plant bloomed in 1889.
In 1999, the blooming of a titan arum in Huntington, California, drew 76,000 visitors for the 19 days it was on public view.
AFP