http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/botgart/amorpho2003e.html

"The Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) produces the world’s largest flower and is currently in bud at the University Botanic Gardens Bonn (Germany). As of Thursday, 12 a.m. it is set to break the old world record established in 1932. The old record was 267 cm while the new bud is now 273 cm and still growing."

Text snatched from Slashdot (http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/05/22/1431208&mode=nested&tid=134)

Whoa!

Wonder if they nicknamed it AUDREY III
(Feed Me Seymore!!!!!!!) :)

LOL! What was Audrey II anyway? Looked like a cabbage. OK I know s/he (?) was an alien... :D

He I think, at least the voice was male! Cabbage is as good a guess as any!

I've seen this flower before. Isn't it the one that really stinks bad when it opens up?

Originally posted by Flower
I've seen this flower before. Isn't it the one that really stinks bad when it opens up?

Yes. The nickname for the Titan Arum is "corpse flower" due to the scent it emits to attract the carrion eating insects that act as pollinators. Just what every yard needs, a giant plant that smells like rotting flesh. Yummy!

Audrey was the name of the human-eating flowering plant in The Little Shop of Horrors. The 50's movie was one of my all-time favorite movies. Seymour named it Audrey, in honor of his girl-friend, Audrey. And let's not forget Audrey's innocent but penetrating question to Seymour's mother, the health-food nut -- to paraphrase: "do you ever eat anything mainly because of its food value, rather than only because it has some medicinal value?"

From Seymour's mother: "have some of this soup; it will strengthen your immune system."

Audrey the plant: "Please feed me. Feed Me. FEED ME.

I so love that movie (the modern version). My absolute favorite song from it is the Dentist one. Steve Martin did such a good job on that part (still cracks me up just sitting here thinking about it).

Whoah, I actually saw one of these live and in person. They had one at my college last year. Tons of people came to see it on the one day that its in bloom. That thing really does smell terriable. :eek:

It was still really neat to go see something like that.

Did it eat anyone?

Wouldn't it have been cool if you were standing there and it pointed your way and said....... "FEEEEEEEEED MEEEEEEEE!!!!"

She said my boy I'm sure some day
You'll find a way
To make you natural tendencies pay!
Son be a dentist!

Or so. I love that one too! :D

Did anyone see the episode of the Simpsons a couple of weeks ago when they had this flower on it? The whole town was gathered around it before it was about to bloom and started stampeding when the stench overwhelmed them. :)

And all the other plants disintegrated from the stench. That was hilarious! :D

terrafae has some pictures of some huge veggies. she should post them here.

how difficult would it be to get one of those bulbs for myself?