沒(méi)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(zhǎng)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(jiàn)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(mén)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(kāi)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(kāi)花方式很奇特,因而世界各地的收藏家和植物愛(ài)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(kāi)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(chóng)和肉蠅這樣的傳粉昆蟲(chóng)。
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(guó)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(zhǎng)速度驚人,每小時(shí)長(zhǎng)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(lái)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(kāi)花景觀的人。當(dāng)時(shí)他正在拍攝BBC電視劇《植物私生活》。