Corpse flower getting ready to bloom at Gustavus

Perry
"Perry," the corpse flower at Gustavus Adolphus, pictured here blooming in 2007.
MPR Photo/Sea Stachura

ST. PETER, Minn. (AP) -- A stinky plant known as a corpse flower is getting ready to bloom at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

The plant -- nicknamed "Perry" -- is showing signs that it will soon bloom for the third time in the last six years.

The first time Perry bloomed, in May 2007, more than 7,000 people came to see the rare plant. More than 5,000 people came to see the plant the last time it bloomed in July 2010.

The corpse flower is a flowering plant that is only found naturally in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. The flower's name comes from the repulsive scent it emits during the hours after it blooms.

Gustavus plans to again allow visitors to see the plant when it blooms, probably in early November.

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