Tall, Stinky Flower Sets Height Record

The 20-foot-tall giant titan arum flower bloomed this week in Germany, setting a height record. The flower is already attracting crowds, even though it smells horrible. "Wilhelma" beat its counterpart in Bonn by over 15 inches. The flower is native to Sumatra and is one of the tallest flowers in the world. The bulb for the flower was planted in 1994, and this is the first time it has bloomed. It smells like rotting flesh to attract pollinating insects when the plant's ready to be pollinated. It can live to be 40 years old, but it will only bloom two or three times.