KUSA — KUSA - Stinky, the famous (infamous?) corpse flower at the Denver Botanic Gardens is about to bloom for a second time.
The botanic gardens made the big announcement on Thursday, and 9NEWS is live streaming it for obvious reasons.
But, it's time you know this rare flower for what it really is.
The name "corpse flower" is enough to gain attention. So is its nickname Stinky (the flower is said to smell like rotting flesh or dead fish …) but the flower's scientific name is what's really shocking.
The scientific name is Amorphophallus Titanum—which translates to "misshapen giant penis."
Nick Snakenburg, the curator for Tropical Plants at the Denver Botanic Gardens, told 9NEWS three years ago during the first bloom that the scientific name was generated during a time when people named plants after body parts.
"Back in the day, if a plant looked like a body part, they would think that that plant might treat an ailment of that body part," Snakenburg said. "And you have to come up with a name somehow. So, what does it look like? Throw some Greek or Latin at it and then it sticks."
All names aside, the Corpse Flower, now 18 years old, is about to bloom for the second time. It was donated to the Denver Botanic Gardens in 2007.
You can watch the flower on our webcam here: https://on9news.tv/2NzQv8v
