Corpse Flower, Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Spike has been making the news lately.  The whole month of August he has been on display at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
I needed to go see what all the commotion was about.
We took a trip over one day and got to see Spike up close and personal.
On the day we were there it had grown to 67.75 inches tall.
It stopped growing at 68 inches,

I did ask the volunteers a few more questions about the "corpse flower".
It is a native of the rainforests on the island of Sumatra.  It can take its time to grow, as long as 10 years.
It is said to be huge underground as well.  It has the largest corm, (a type of tuber) that can be as big as a bowling ball,
and can weigh up to 200 pounds.
It sends up a leaf each year to absorb energy from the sun.
When it finally has enough energy it sends up a flower bud.
According to the botanic gardens, they did not know if a leaf or a flower bud was sent up.
Eventually it was determined that a flower was in fact being sent up.
Then it started growing 4 to 6 inches a day, and the Spadix was seen coming up through the Ruffly spathe, (the ruffly part around the center.)

The day we were there, it was thought that spike would open that weekend.
It was making the news by this time.
We had that one in Denver had just bloomed.
Every one has been anxiously waiting.
The garden even had a live feed, so we could watch it around the clock.
It is believed that at least 50,000 people came to visit Spike.
Then one day it was noted that they was a bit of smell coming from the flower.
Then nothing.
They even turned the live feed off for a couple nights. Still nothing.
It was finally determined that it did not have enough energy to complete the process.

This picture courteous of the Chicago Botanic Garden.  

The employees at the garden decided to help Spike along.

They cut off the ruffled bloom, which was a series of spongy, rubbery leaves.

The plant was not sick, it just happens that sometimes they do not open.

The odor that the plant emits is very strong and pungent that attracts the pollinators, which are beetles and other bugs.

It is said that the flower usually emits the strong odor in the afternoon, then in the middle of the night will burst open.

The whole process usually lasts 24 hours.

The smell is likened to a corpse, thus its name.

The scientists at the garden did take pollen from the plant and will attempt to pollinate it with the plant from Denver.

Spike will live on, just not on display.

The botanic garden says they have 7 other plants in a greenhouse that does not allow visitors.

Who knows, we may get to see another "Spike", another day.

I hope I get to have the chance to see another "Spike".

WE had a beautiful day at the gardens.

It has been years since we were last there.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and take time to smell the flowers.

Mary

Except for the one picture from the Facebook website, all the others are my own.