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Smelly Plant Stinks Up North Carolina

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Jul 1, 2007 9:32 pm US/Eastern

Smelly Plant Stinks Up North Carolina

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CHARLOTTE, NC (CBS4) ― A plant known for producing a flower with an offensive odor bloomed early Sunday morning at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, forcing people to cover their nose to endure a visit.

The Titan Arum, or corpse flower, is native to Sumatra and Indonesia, but is increasingly being cultivated in the United States. While the plant has already flowered at least twice at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Pinecrest, experts say this is the first of its kind to bloom in the Carolinas.

The "fragrance" of a corpse flower, which has been compared to the smell of rotting meat, only lasts for about 24 hours. The smell is believed to attract beetles and flies which help the plant spread its seeds.

Named "Bella" by its owner, the six-year-old plant is now five-feet tall and weighs between 30 to 40 pounds. So far, hundreds of people have visited the university's botanical garden hoping to see the flower in full bloom.

After about four days, the flower will fold up and collapse, but a new leaf will emerge several months from now. While it usually takes the plant three to five years to "re-flower," most fail to bloom again.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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