Massive 'phallus' flower blooms for 1st time in Canada

The Canadian Press Posted: 3:51 PM

 NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. - A massive, suggestively shaped flower more than two metres high is blooming in Niagara Falls, Ont. _ the first time it has flowered in Canada. Experts at the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse say one specimen of the rare Amorphophallus titanum has opened. But they say the bell-shaped plant won't last long and its centre spike has already started to droop. By Sunday, it will likely have turned into a "tree-like stalk." Experts say the unusual flower, whose name means "misshapen phallus," has bloomed in a botanical garden only 21 times. The plant _ considered the tallest flower species in the world _ gives off a unique smell most often compared to rotting meat. Parks staff say a second flower is expected to bloom in the coming weeks.