by Connie Oswald Stofko
You can vote on your favorite name for the new corpse flower, which is currently is its leaf stage at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.
The Botanical Gardens received thousands of suggestions and whittled them down to five: Cinder-Smella, Ichabod, Gomez, Seymorgue and Morticia. (I won’t tell you which name I voted for.)
I talked today to Jeff Thompson, director of horticulture at the Botanical Gardens, and he said the leaf is now about halfway open. Remember, that’s not a tree– It’s a single leaf!
While you’re in the main dome, check out the plants that are currently bearing tropical fruit.
One is a variegated banana– even the skins of the banana are variegated, Thompson said, adding that in Polynesia, only the royal family was allowed to eat the fruit. You can see it near the water feature.
Across the pathway is a mango tree that is bearing fruit.
Another update: Thompson said they just received some new carnivorous plants that are very cool. They should be on display by tomorrow. For Halloween, they will be exhibited with tiny human figures as if they are man-eating plants.
The Mum Show is still under way, too.
Ha…a rose by any other name… I would bet Stinky is a popular choice.