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Corpse flower 'Morty Jr.' expected to bloom at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

morty jr corpse flower.jpg
Posted at 12:42 PM, Jul 06, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-06 12:42:17-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Corpse Flower named "Morty Jr.'" is expected to fully bloom at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens in the next couple of weeks.

Botanical gardens officials said Wednesday that Morty Jr. and siblings Wednesday and Pugsley will be on display, and Morty Jr. "is currently growing rapidly and is showing clear signs of a flower."

The botanical gardens said in July 2014 it acquired three Amorphophallus titanum corms named Morty, Morticia, and Fester. Morty bloomed immediately and Morticia grew a leaf. Fester has divided into four parts creating Morty Jr., Wednesday and Pugsley.

Morty Jr. is expected to reach full bloom within the next couple of weeks and Wednesday and Pugsley are showing signs of growth and will be on display as well.

Corpse plants (their common name), are native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia and are famous for their horrible smell, like rotting flesh, while in bloom. Corpse plants can bloom to flowers every 6-10 years, making it a rare sight to see and smell. When they are not blooming they send up enormous leaf structures to collect energy to bloom again in the future. Unfortunately, the leaf structure has no offensive smell.

When the first growth appears, it can be hard to predict if the plant will become a leaf or flower. At this stage it can grow several inches per day and will produce a leaf or flower within several weeks of its first growth. In the early stages of growth, a flower can look wider at the bottom and a leaf can appear uniformly shaped.
- Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens