沒有什么能比這個(gè)消息更讓植物學(xué)家感到興奮了。在歷經(jīng)75年的生長以后,這株泰坦魔芋終于綻放出花朵。
For curious crowds who gathered, they perhaps realised that a once-in-a-lifetime look is more than enough - thanks to its pungent odour of rotting flesh。
好奇的圍觀者可能意識(shí)到這種景觀終生難見一次,因?yàn)檫@種花散發(fā)出的腐肉般的刺鼻氣味實(shí)在獨(dú)特。
The flower, nicknamed 'Corpse flower', bloomed late on Good Friday at the University of Basel, Switzerland and is expected to remain open until Easter Sunday。
在復(fù)活節(jié)前的星期五(耶穌受難日)那天夜里,這種綽號(hào)叫作“尸花”的花在瑞士巴塞爾大學(xué)盛放,預(yù)計(jì)花期將持續(xù)到復(fù)活節(jié)(周日)。
The eight foot plant, which is indigenous to Sumatra's rainforests in Indonesia, has the largest unbranched shoot in the world. On average, they bloom once in a decade。
這一高達(dá)八英尺的泰坦魔芋是印尼蘇門答臘島熱帶雨林的本土植物,擁有全世界最大的不分枝巨芽。這種植物一般十年才開一次花。
Titan Arum is coveted by collectors and plant enthusiasts around the world because of its strange blooming patterns。
泰坦魔芋的開花方式很奇特,因而世界各地的收藏家和植物愛好者都渴望收藏這種植物。
It produces umbrella-sized petals which open to a diameter of three to four feet。
泰坦魔芋花的花瓣有傘那么大,盛開后整朵花的直徑達(dá)三至四英尺。
Its distinctive smell can be detected from half a mile away. The odour, which is usually strongest at night, is meant to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles and flesh flies。
泰坦魔芋花獨(dú)特的氣味在半英里外就能聞到。這種花的臭味通常在夜間最濃烈,可以吸引腐尸甲蟲和肉蠅這樣的傳粉昆蟲。
Twelve of them are housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the Princess of Wales Conservatory among hundreds of other tropical plants。
威爾士王妃館內(nèi)的英國皇家植物園(邱園)收藏的數(shù)百種熱帶植物中,就有12株泰坦魔芋。
When the plants are ready to pollinate, the stem heats up to release a pungent smell, which lasts for about three days。
在泰坦魔芋將要授粉時(shí),花莖會(huì)發(fā)熱并散發(fā)出一股刺鼻氣味,這種氣味大約會(huì)持續(xù)三天。
The largest Arum at Kew gardens weighs 200lb and grows at a staggering rate of a quarter of an inch an hour。
邱園中最大的泰坦魔芋重達(dá)200磅,而且生長速度驚人,每小時(shí)長0.25英寸。
It guzzles liquid fertiliser and potassium each week to keep up its strength while bedded in roomy surroundings。
在寬敞的環(huán)境中,這種植物每周會(huì)大量吸收液態(tài)肥料和鉀來維持生命力。
Sir David Attenborough, who invented the name Titan Arum, was the first to capture it flowering on film for his BBC TV series The Private Life of Plants。
把這種植物命名為“泰坦魔芋”的戴維•阿滕伯勒爵士是首個(gè)拍到它開花景觀的人。當(dāng)時(shí)他正在拍攝BBC電視劇《植物私生活》。