Xtreme Florist

Hearing terms like xtreme florist and extreme flowers may lead some of to think of flora gone wild with Mother Nature unleashing a new species of flower best left for a horror movie. There are several species of flowers that could be thought of as extreme flowers with characteristics that separate then from your common, every run of the mill house plant. An example of what could be described as an extreme flower is the Amorphophallus titanium commonly referred to as the corpse flower.

According to the United States Botanical Garden, the corpse flower "is native to the rainforest of Sumatra and grows typically in the moist shaded soils on the forest floor. It was first described by a European botanist named Odoardo Beccari in 1878. The plant accumulates energy through its enormous leaves, some reaching greater than 18 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter. The energy is stored in an underground stem called a corm. When sufficient energy is accumulated, often after several years, the weight of the corm may exceed 140 lbs and the plant is ready to flower". The term corpse flower refers to the overwhelming odor emitted by the plant when it flowers which reminds many people of the smell associated with human decomposition, which could be rightfully called extreme.

Despite the extreme nature of the corpse flower, the term extreme flower is more commonly used to describe a line of motorcycle safety helmets. Of course there are floral courses that teach about the concept of extreme flower designing. So whether referring to extreme flower motorcycle helmets, corpse flowers or extreme floral designs, extreme is indeed in the eye of the beholder.