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All the United States Minnesota Saint Paul Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park)

Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park)

Home to the Amorphophallus titanum "Corpse Flower," which is among the largest flowers in the world and also smells powerfully of rotting flesh when in bloom.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Sarah Brumble
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The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Como Park, built in 1915.   http://www.outinminnesota.com/bars/como_zo...
3D image of the Corpse Flower in bloom. (Requires magenta/cyan glasses)   http://www.callipygian.com/3D/corpseplant....
(Left to right) An adult man stands next to a Corpse Flower as it grows, putting the bloom’s scale in perspective; A Corpse Flower in bloom and its adoring visitors.   http://www.bbg.org/abo/pressroom/special/2...
the tree room   Twin Cities Fancy / Atlas Obscura User
sunken gardens   Twin Cities Fancy / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  sharonrose979 / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
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Though the architecture of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is worth the trip alone, the conservatory (located in sprawling Como Park) is home to a wide variety of beautiful, fragrant and rare plants from all over the world. The Conservatory is a particular treat in the winter when contrast between the semitropical inside and drifting snow outside makes it feel like a reverse snowglobe.

The crown jewel of their collection is the Amorphophallus titanum, so called "Corpse Flower" on display. Before producing its single bloom, the Corpse Flower has been known to grow upwards of seven inches every day, reaching maturity at heights up to 12 feet tall, emitting an overpowering stench reminiscent of rotting flesh when it is in full bloom. This is not a permanent exhibit, though the indoor medicinal plant display is.

This particular species of flower was first identified in the late 1800s in Indonesia, and has only been known to bloom 125 times since its discovery. Two of these occurrences have taken place at the Como Park Conservatory, the last of which took place in April 2008.

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littlebrumble

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Twin Cities Fancy, Collector of Experiences, sharonrose979

  • Twin Cities Fancy
  • Collector of Experiences
  • sharonrose979

Published

June 22, 2009

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  • http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/10/corpseflower/
  • http://www.bbg.org/abo/pressroom/special/2006/2006titan.html
Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park)
1225 Estabrook Drive
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55103
United States
44.979778, -93.148031
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