The Corpse Flower Blooms in Washington

Forget the Royal Baby. The real rare-event news of the day is that the Titan Arum, aka the "Corpse Flower," is finally blooming at the US Botanical Garden Conservatory in Washington, DC.

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[ustream id=15148679 live=1 hwaccel=1 version=3 width=720 height=572]
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Forget the Royal Baby. The real rare-event news of the day is that the titan arum, aka the “Corpse Flower,” is finally blooming at the US Botanical Garden Conservatory in Washington, DC. The giant plant, a native species of Sumatra, Indonesia, blooms only once every few years to every few decades, and its flower lasts only 24-28 hours once it opens. It smells like rotting or burning flesh, and the putrid odor attracts pollinators like dung and carrion beetles.  The plant can grow up to 12 feet tall.

Hundreds of people have been rushing to the conservatory since the flower began to bloom last night. The US Botanical Garden has 14 titan arums, but the last time one bloomed was in 2007. You can watch the live feed of the epic moment above.