Giant ‘corpse’ flower draws crowds to California garden

ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) — The bloom of a giant stinky Sumatran flower has drawn crowds to a Southern California garden. The bloom of the Amorphophallus titanum plant began Sunday afternoon at the San Diego Botanic Gardens in Encinitas and by Monday morning timed-entry tickets had sold out. The San Diego Union-Tribune says more than 5,000 people are expected to cycle through the garden by Tuesday evening. The bloom of the “corpse plant” lasts just 48 hours and during its peak it emits a putrid odor of rotting flesh to attract carrion beetles and flesh flies that help in the pollination process.