Titan Arums generate heat when they flower to create updrafts that waft the foul odor up into rainforest canopy to attract insect pollinators.
How hot did Wee Stinky get last night? Well you or I certainly wouldn’t want to run a fever that high.
Greenhouse manager Andy Leed used a thermal imaging camera on loan from Cornell’s Combined Heat and Power Plant (CCHPP) to create these images.
Around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night, the top of the spadix was over 90 degress F:
By midnight, the temperature had spiked to over 105 degrees F. (Next two images.)
By 9 a.m. Thursday morning, the temperature dropped back below 90 degrees F — much cooler than researcher Rob Raguso’s face (lower right).
