SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Zoo has finally given a name to the famed corpse flower that is expected to bloom in the coming days.
La Llorona is the new moniker for the plant, zoo officials announced Wednesday.
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“La Llorona or ‘The Weeping Woman’ is a ghost from Mexican folklore who roams the earth searching for her lost children whom she drowned,” zoo officials said in the announcement.
The story of La Llorona is a common folklore legend from Latin culture. Some theories behind La Llorona’s origin story can be traced to Xochimilco — a borough of Mexico City.
Some commenters on social media love the name, while others think it stinks.
“Terrible name for such an interesting plant,” said one commenter.
Another disagreed and wrote “awesome name! Suits this lovely wonder beautifully.”
The endangered flower has been growing quickly, indicating it will bloom very soon.
After the corpse flower blooms, the blossom lasts anywhere from one to four days, zoo officials said.
Corpse flower blooms emit a very powerful scent that has been described as “reminiscent of a decaying corpse,” which is where the name comes from.
The flower was gifted to the zoo earlier this year from The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in California.
You can check out the flower in person at the zoo or online with KSAT’s Corpse Flower Cam.
The live stream will be available 24/7 until the corpse flower blooms and will be live for an additional 1-4 days, or as long as the bloom lasts.