SEND A PLANT TO NANCY

“This Bill Is Stinking Up The Place.” That was Sen. Lindsey Graham, a few moments ago, at the Republican news conference on the stimulus bill. “In the House, the bill was written because Nancy Pelosi said she won,” Graham told reporters. “If we jam a bill through like we’re doing today, nobody in America is going to trust us with future requests…People are running scared in the Senate because this bill is stinking up the place.”

WHAT ABOUT THE PLANT? WHAT KIND WOULD BE APPROPRIATE? READ BELOW!

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The titan arum, has the botanical name of Amorphophallus titanum. If individual plants have names other than their scientific classifications, “Mr. Stinky” would be appropriate for this one.

Titan arums are native to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, where their stench has led them to be known as “corpse flowers.” The flower emits a stench of rotting flesh after it opens, requiring humans to wear a gas mask to approach the plant and attracting pollinators such as flies and beetles. Unfortunately, deforestation is threatening it with extinction in its native land.

It’s certainly not the only plant species to emit such an odor -‘South Florida’s stinkhorn does, as do various orchids and succulents of the Stapelia genus. What sets the titan arum apart is its size: It has the largest flower on the planet, reaching up to 10 feet in height!

Until the last two decades, the blooming of a titan arum was a rare event that drew thousands of visitors. Nowadays, many botanical gardens are growing them successfully.

Addendum to this article – 8:00 PM, Feb. 6th, 2009…Democrats succeeded, after a long day of private negotiations, in winning the support of enough Republicans to move the package toward a final Senate vote.


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