
Trudy, the corpse flower at UC Botanical Gardens, is blooming.
The Sumatran plant, officially called Amorphophallus titanum or titan arum, started to open around 8 p.m. Saturday July 25, according to the UC Botanical Garden’s Facebook page.
Berkeley photographer Colleen Neff visited the garden Sunday morning and said the flower had revealed a beautiful purple skirt. Trudy should remain in bloom for a few more days.
Titan arum are are nicknamed corpse flowers because they emit a smell like a decaying object as they are blooming. Neff said on her Facebook page that Trudy smelled like a dead mouse rather than a rotting cow. The smell of the flower is already receding, according to botanists. The flower, which will stay blooming for a few days, is already “beginning to go limp,” according to the UC Botanical Garden Facebook page.

Garden officials are expecting so many visitors that they set up a free shuttle that runs between the garden and the parking lot of the Lawrence Hall of Science. The shuttle, which runs until 6 p.m., will pick up passengers at the parking machines. The UC Botanical Garden will remain open until 7 p.m. today.





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