Corpse flower mysteriously cut and taken a day after Sembawang MP's viral Facebook post
PHOTO: Facebook/Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Taka Chia E L
PUBLISHED ONJune 08, 2021 10:26 AMByAlexander Kyle Thirumaran
When some netizens went to admire a blooming corpse flower yesterday (June 7), they were shocked to find that it was gone.
On Sunday, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, the Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC, posted on Facebook about the wild flower at Blk 338 Sembawang Crescent.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/drlimweekiak/posts/4021146211256313?__xts__[0]=68.ARDUGXlcSJDwLDvJnaQWTYUK6fpl_9oduzrwivgPjZn9T6NXpHGFy[/embed]
In his post, he shared images of the flower which he measured to be between 45cm and 50cm in diameter. He identified it as the flower of an elephant foot yam plant.
Also known as Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius, the plant has edible tubers sometimes used in Asian cuisine. Its flowers are said to bloom annually and last for five days. However, Nparks advises caution when consuming the tubers if you have rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones, or hyperacidity.
Dr Lim's post garnered social media attention and got netizens curious about the flower. Some even travelled to see it in person.
However, just one day after his post, netizens noted that the flower was cut at the stem and removed. "Went to see just now, found out that it was stolen", one comment read.
Another netizen posted an image of the cut stem on Facebook and wrote: "For your information, it is gone! Whoever did this, you are being too selfish."
Many expressed their disappointment. One comment read: "That is terrible! I was just there yesterday afternoon and wondering if the social media publicity would have someone stealing it!"
Earlier today, Dr Lim also posted on his Facebook: "So sad to learn that the rare corpse flower by the walkway which bloomed on Sunday was missing and cut by someone. I hope all of us can be more gracious, more respectful and more caring towards our nature. We have so much nature beauty here especially in Sembawang that we can admire and enjoy together."
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/drlimweekiak/posts/4026140130756921[/embed]