Corpse flower blooms at Huntington

The smell of rotting flesh is wafting again at the Huntington Library's tropical conservatory in San Marino. Star-News:

After keeping botanists on tenterhooks for more than two weeks, the giant other-worldly Amorphophallus titanum had grown to 6 feet 9 inches by Wednesday morning. Around 2 p.m. botanists started to notice the petal-like outer spathe beginning to pull away from the tall spadex of the world's largest flower.

Flies had already begun to appear, "clearly sensing something in the air," Huntington spokeswoman Lisa Blackburn said, and the world's largest flower started its seven-hour opening process.

The public will have its first chance to see - and smell - the Corpse Flower on Thursday when the Huntington opens at 10:30 a.m. The bloom usually lasts about two days.

Although Huntington officials aren't expecting crowds equal to the 76,000 who showed up for the rare flowering in 1999, Son of Stinky has already outdone its parent in height.