Chile's Atacama Desert (a.k.a. 'The Driest Place on Earth') Is Now Overflowing with Pink Flowers

[Batu69]

For years, Chile's Atacama Desert had been deemed "the driest place on Earth" due to its low rainfall.

In fact, Atacama holds the world record for the longest dry streak, going 173 months without rain in the early 20th century.

But the desert's longstanding title became a misnomer after El Niño hit the area in March, releasing 14 years' worth of rain (which equates to just 0.96-in.) in one day – the region's heaviest rain in 20 years.

What happened next was a beautiful bloom of pink flowers that extended across the Atacama Desert floor, leading to "the most spectacular blossoming of the past 18 years," according to the Washington Post. The flowers, which are said to bloom every five to seven years, recently made their triumphant return and have reportedly surpassed all previous years' coverage.

"For us it was a miracle, because in all the years that I have lived here, I had never seen what the flora looked like until now," says one man of the rare bloom.

Source

[dMog]

i remember hearing about this when i was in grade school...it apparently ocours once every 20 to 50 years.... must be something to see in person...also remember something about a few different trees and plants that only blooms every 100 years

http://www.ehow.com/list_7680859_flowers-bloom-100-years.html

1. eHow
2. Garden
3. Plants, Flowers & Herbs
4. Plant Basics
5. Flowers that Bloom Every 100 Years

Flowers that Bloom Every 100 Years

By Christina Sloane

eHow Contributor

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While perennials usually bloom at a certain time every year, there are a few plants in the world that flower only once in their lifetime. Located in different areas of the world, including some in the United States, when they flower, these enormous, rare plants often draw a large crowd of tourists.

Other People Are Reading

• Flowers That Bloom at Midnight
• What Are the Top 10 Rarest Flowers in the World?

Madagascar Palm Tree

• Discovered by botanists in 2008, the largest species of palm tree in Madagascar blooms with hundreds of tiny flowers once in 100 years. The blooming process is so taxing that the 66-foot tree dies a few months afterwards. For this reason, botanists have labeled it an annual. When the tree is about to bloom, it grows a large, asparagus-like shoot out of its crown. Shortly afterwards, the flowers appear, dripping nectar that attracts birds and insects. Botanists estimate that there are only 100 such trees in the world.

Century Plant (Agave Americana)

• The century plant was so named because it was originally thought to bloom once every 100 years; however, it actually matures and blossoms after 50 or 60 years at most. Closely related to aloe vera, the century plant produces pups, or offshoots at its base, which can be used to propagate new plants. Like the Madagascar palm tree, the plant grows a large, asparagus-like shoot from its crown before it blooms, a phenomenon known as inflorescence. Dozens of golden flowers bloom from this shoot for two weeks, after which the plant dies. Native to Texas, the plant thrives in hot climates with dry, gravelly, well-drained soil and full sun.

Corpse Flower (Titan Arum)

• Unlike plants which bear flowers and die afterwards, the corpse flower is a giant, 7-foot-tall flower that blooms two to three times every 100 years. Although the blooming flower releases sulfur and smells like rotting corpses, any known instance of its flowering attracts tourists all over the world. Luckily, the full bloom lasts only for a day or two. The titan arum grows naturally in the moist, warm rainforest of Sumatra in Indonesia, where its smell attracts carrion beetles and sweat bees, which then pollinate the flower. There have been 140 documented corpse flowers found worldwide.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_7680859_flowers-bloom-100-years.html

1. eHow
2. Garden
3. Plants, Flowers & Herbs
4. Plant Basics
5. Flowers that Bloom Every 100 Years

Flowers that Bloom Every 100 Years

By Christina Sloane

eHow Contributor

• Pin
•  Share
•  Tweet
•  Share
•  Email

Save

Be the first!

Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

While perennials usually bloom at a certain time every year, there are a few plants in the world that flower only once in their lifetime. Located in different areas of the world, including some in the United States, when they flower, these enormous, rare plants often draw a large crowd of tourists.

Other People Are Reading

• Flowers That Bloom at Midnight
• What Are the Top 10 Rarest Flowers in the World?

Madagascar Palm Tree

• Discovered by botanists in 2008, the largest species of palm tree in Madagascar blooms with hundreds of tiny flowers once in 100 years. The blooming process is so taxing that the 66-foot tree dies a few months afterwards. For this reason, botanists have labeled it an annual. When the tree is about to bloom, it grows a large, asparagus-like shoot out of its crown. Shortly afterwards, the flowers appear, dripping nectar that attracts birds and insects. Botanists estimate that there are only 100 such trees in the world.

Century Plant (Agave Americana)

• The century plant was so named because it was originally thought to bloom once every 100 years; however, it actually matures and blossoms after 50 or 60 years at most. Closely related to aloe vera, the century plant produces pups, or offshoots at its base, which can be used to propagate new plants. Like the Madagascar palm tree, the plant grows a large, asparagus-like shoot from its crown before it blooms, a phenomenon known as inflorescence. Dozens of golden flowers bloom from this shoot for two weeks, after which the plant dies. Native to Texas, the plant thrives in hot climates with dry, gravelly, well-drained soil and full sun.

Corpse Flower (Titan Arum)

• Unlike plants which bear flowers and die afterwards, the corpse flower is a giant, 7-foot-tall flower that blooms two to three times every 100 years. Although the blooming flower releases sulfur and smells like rotting corpses, any known instance of its flowering attracts tourists all over the world. Luckily, the full bloom lasts only for a day or two. The titan arum grows naturally in the moist, warm rainforest of Sumatra in Indonesia, where its smell attracts carrion beetles and sweat bees, which then pollinate the flower. There have been 140 documented corpse flowers found worldwide.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_7680859_flowers-bloom-100-years.html

[pc71520]

Amazing pic...