BOTANICAL BEHEMOTH; WORLD'S LARGEST FLOWER SET TO BLOOM SOON.Byline: Michael Coit Staff Writer The Huntington Botanical Gardens A botanical garden is a place where plants, especially ferns, conifers and flowering plants, are grown and displayed for the purposes of research, conservation, and education. are a spectacle of cacti, roses, camellias, herbs and palms, yet the crowd pleaser crowd pleas·er also crowd-pleas·er n. Informal A person, spectacle, work, or idea that appeals to popular taste. these days is a monstrous flower expected to soon unfurl a massive bloom - and a noxious odor. Growing at an awesome rate of as much as four inches a day, the Amorphophallus titanum - heralded as the world's largest flower - has gone from bulb to nearly six feet in a mere six weeks. ``The size is the most amazing part,'' said Gretchen Murphy of Azusa. ``I've never seen anything that's taller than me that's a flower.'' Rising from a pot in the center of the loggia loggia Hall, gallery, or porch open to the air on one or more sides. It evolved in the Mediterranean region as an open sitting room with protection from the sun. It is often a roofed, arcaded open gallery on an upper story overlooking a court, though it can also be a off the Scott Gallery, the strapping botanical wonder would be only the eleventh cultivated variety of the flower native to Sumatra to ever bloom in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The Huntington's would be the state's first. ``It's big,'' said 11-year-old Ana Burke, a visitor from Baton Rouge Baton Rouge (băt`ən r  zh) [Fr.,=red stick], city (1990 pop. 219,531), state capital and seat of East Baton Rouge parish, SE La. , La., who found the world's largest flower an amazing sight. ``It looks like a huge pen.'' Just when the large, frilly-edged leafy structure will unfurl into an upturned fluted bell, revealing a deep maroon interior, is not known. The growth rate suggested this would occur the end of July. Museum officials said the event could be today or Sunday. ``They're just very fickle. They don't often bloom. There has never been a plant in cultivation that has bloomed twice,'' said Lisa Blackburn, a Huntington spokeswoman. Such is the mystery and allure of a flower first cultivated in 1889 at London's legendary Kew Gardens Kew Gardens (ky ), Kew, Surrey, S England, on the Thames just W of London; Royal Botanic Gardens is the official name. . The first recorded bloom in the U.S. was at the New York Botanical Garden For the botanical garden in Queens, see . The New York Botanical Garden is a prestigious botanical garden in New York City. One of the premier botanical gardens in the United States, it spans some 240 acres of Bronx Park in the borough of The Bronx and is home to some of the in 1937. The most recent was earlier this month at the University of Washington, in Seattle, Blackburn said. When the flower does bloom, its remarkable appearance must contend with its awful odor. Similar to rotting flesh, the odor is passed off in a vapor aided by the heating of the flower as it grows. The smell wasn't notable to those walking around the flower Friday and marveling at the sight. ``I wish it was in bloom,'' said Donna Everitt, who brought her husband, John, their young daughter and five relatives from Arcadia. ``At least we can see this. It's a rare experience in most people's lives.'' The Everitts, from Brandon, Manitoba Brandon is a city in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. The surrounding area is often referred to as "Westman". The city started as a major junction on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Assiniboine River and was then incorporated in 1882. , Canada, weren't about to miss the opportunity on this trip. A blooming Amorphophallus titanum was on display at Kew Gardens seven years ago when they were visiting London, but the viewing was sold out. ``People in England know their flowers. It was like getting tickets to the Rolling Stones Rolling Stones, English rock music group that rose to prominence in the mid-1960s and continues to exert great influence. Members have included singer Mick Jagger (Michael Phillip Jagger), 1943–; guitarists Brian Jones . And they were pushing people through,'' John Everitt said. ``This is worth coming to. Here you can take your time.'' Artists have been staying the longest, hoping to capture the flower's singular nature with sketches, drawings and paintings since the Huntington placed it on display 10 days ago. ``It is just such a spectacular flower,'' said Brunhild Zimmerman, a Pasadena retiree who has followed the blooming progress, taking a photo and completing a drawing in her notebook every day for the past week. The chance to watch a flower normally found in equatorial tropical rain forests bloom in semi-arid Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, has drawn crowds that have stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. Huntington officials. Attendance has virtually doubled this week compared with a normal week. Overwhelmed by phone calls, officials established a toll-free number for blooming updates, a museum first for a flower. ``The crowds are getting bigger and bigger every day,'' Blackburn said. ``It's a once in a lifetime event, and this is a part of California history.'' A Web broadcast of the bloom also is planned in the future. Scientists from the California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, Calif.; originally for men, became coeducational in 1970; founded 1891 as Throop Polytechnic Institute; called Throop College of Technology, 1913–20. and the Jet Propulsion jet propulsion, propulsion of a body by a force developed in reaction to the ejection of a high-speed jet of gas. Jet Propulsion Engines The four basic parts of a jet engine are the compressor, turbine, combustion chamber, and propelling nozzles. Library are recording the process with an infrared camera. Check the Huntington Web site for further information, the scientists said. In another flower-related first for the Huntington, a commemorative T-shirt, featuring a full-color print of the bloom, went on sale Friday. BIG BLOOM The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens are open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The Huntington will be open Monday for viewing of the world's largest flower. Admission is $8.50 for nonmember adults, $8 for seniors age 65 and older, $6 for students age 12 and older, and free for children under 12. For information, call (626) 405-2100. For updates on the world's largest flower, call (800) 200-5566. The Huntington Web address is www.huntington.org. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO Susan Riedley paints a watercolor of the Huntington Botanical Gardens' Amorphophallus titanum, expected to bloom any day. John Lazar/Staff Photographer BOX: BIG BLOOM (see text) |
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