A flower that is more than a metre tall is set to come into bloom – and release the pungent smell of a corpse in the process.
The five-year-old plant, known as the corpse flower due to the unpleasant, strong smell it gives out when it blooms, is set to open up for the very first time.
We are closely monitoring Pablo’s temperature which was 64.94 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. When blooming, the flower will heat up to 95 degrees F (avg human body temperature is 98.6 degrees). He will continue to monitor the temperature and colour throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/uvj5auZJJu
— The Toronto Zoo (@TheTorontoZoo) September 10, 2018
Workers at Toronto Zoo in Canada, where the plant is being grown, have dubbed the plant Pablo Pe-ew Caso.
Pablo is ahead of schedule as typically the flower only blooms once it is roughly six to 10 years old, according to the zoo.
#CorpseWatch Update: Pablo “Pe-ew”caso's growth continued to slow down last night down to ¼ of an inch. As we continue to see Pablo’s growth become less each day, we estimate the bloom to occur closer to the end of the week. #WhatsThatSmell #ZooHorticulture pic.twitter.com/LgZBtvCrsc
— The Toronto Zoo (@TheTorontoZoo) September 10, 2018
The rising temperature of the plant and its slowing growth rate have led workers at the zoo to predict it is set to bloom later this week, according to the zoo’s Twitter account.
When it eventually does bloom, the flower will rise to a temperature broadly equivalent to that of the human body.