Foul-smelling, rare 'corpse flower' blooms at Dartmouth College

HANOVER, N.H., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A rare flower known for its large size and foul smell bloomed in a greenhouse at Dartmouth college over the weekend.

The university provided an online live stream of "Morphy" the 13-year-old Amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower.

Morphy was grown from a seed by a private grower in New Hampshire starting in 2003 and acquired by Dartmouth in 2007, according to Dartmouth news.

The plant, which was estimated to weigh between 37 and 39 pounds, bloomed once before in 2011 and sprouted two leaves which photosynthesized leading up to the most recent bloom.

The corpse flower's name comes from the smell emitted from the green and burgundy flower which resembles rotting flesh and attracts flies and beetles in the wild.

Members of the public were welcomed to view the rare flower as Dartmouth extended its viewing hours in honor of the event.

Only seven corpse flowers were reported to have bloomed in the United States over the summer including one which bloomed at The New York Botanical Garden in July for the first time since 1937.