Endangered corpse flowers bear seeds at China National Botanical Garden

Two corpse flowers have borne seeds at the China National Botanical Garden in Beijing, marking the first seed-bearing of the endangered species in the country.

The flowers bloomed in July, the first "group flowering" of the species under artificial cultivation globally.

The species, officially known as Amorphophallus titanum, is native to Indonesia. It is known as a corpse flower from the infamous rotting smell that helps it attract pollinators when the plant is in bloom.

Staff at the garden dissected the fruits and found apparent embryos in August. The fruits grew rapidly since then.

The staff recently dissected the fruits again and found that the seeds had taken shape, separated from the pulp, with the seed coats developed.

The fruit-bearing activity reflects the high level of cultivation and conservation at the China National Botanical Garden and is of great significance to conserving this endangered species.