Gustavus corpse flower opens and shares its rotten-meat stench

Via Titan Arum Webcam

Perry the corpse flower, doing what comes naturally

Perry goes by the scientific name Titan Arum, and is part of a family of gargantuan flowers only found naturally in the tropical rain forests of Sumatra. When they bloom -- which isn't often -- they reek of rotting flesh.

The folks at Linnaeus Arboretum on the Gustavus campus are pretty excited about the stink -- and so is Perry, by the look of things. Besides naming their plant, they've set up a blog, a webcam and a Facebook page to share the odoriferousness. Visiting hours are also being tentatively scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 23-25 from 8 p.m.-6 p.m.