Lois the Corpse Flower

If I was in Texas, I'd be in Houston right now. Sara just sent me the link to this amazing flower named Lois that lives at the Museum of Natural Science... It's called a corpse flower or bunga bangkai in Indonesian and this botanical celebrity even has its own webcam.

Apparently corpse flowers can grow over 10 feet tall... they only flower infrequently in the jungle and even less frequently when cultivated. BUT Lois blooms tonight, and the museum will stay open until midnights so people can see.

Interestingly, the flower's fragrance resembles that of rotting meat (hence the name). It was also the official flower of the Bronx until 2000 (replaced by the much less impressive day lily).

This is what they look like in bloom.

Impressive, no?