San Francisco's corpse flower is a pretty big deal, and rightfully so: The rare Amorphophallus titanum growing at our Conservatory of Flowers only blooms for a day every three or four years. Like every fleeting and precious thing, people aren't allowed to touch, grope, or otherwise molest it. It's just common sense, right? But the sense is apparently not common enough for the two brainiacs you see in the photo above and the video below, as they ignored the rules, even documenting themselves grabbing the unusual plant in their pursuit of...a photo, I guess?
As previously reported "Terra the Titan" (as the plant is known) bloomed last Thursday, opening to reveal a big purple flower that smells an awful lot like rotting meat.
But though the bloom was over by Monday, the plant remained on display at the Conservatory, barrier intact. But that barrier was no match for the guy you see below, who Hoodline reports "reached across...and handled the exotic plant while a female companion took photos."
A viewer to the flower's livestream captured the plant's molestation, and uploaded it to YouTube in a brief clip entitled "Jerk messes with SF Conservatory Corpse Flower." (Succinct, descriptive, and accurate! Four stars.)
Speaking with Hoodline, Conservatory spokesperson Nina Sazevich says that the plant violator acted "in a way that jeopardizes not only the plant but other visitors' ability to experience something so fascinating and rare."
"Plant parts can be delicate and easily damaged if handled improperly," Sazevich warns, saying that Conservatory staff was "saddened" by the couple's flagrant disregard for Terra's well-being.
Since the flower was no longer in bloom, Sazevich says, workers "were no longer staffing the room intensively," perhaps making it easier for shenanigans to go down. But, seriously, people, do you need someone standing there watching you to behave like a decent human being? If there's any justice in the world, some night when you least expect it, Terra will come to your house and start feeling you. Sleep well, folks!
Previously: Smell The Stinky Corpse Flower That Blooms For 1 Day Every 3 Years