The Himalayas are home to many natural beauties, and according to some research, several rare medicinal plants and flowers can only be found in the Himalayas. Many of you have probably seen an image claiming to be a flower that only blooms in the Himalayas once every 400 years! However, we found these claims to be false.
Social Media Posts
A beautiful image of the large tree with unique white flowers is circulated with the caption, “Flor do Pagode” or “Maha Molu,” a unique auspicious flower in Tibet. The flowers of the pagoda in the Himalayas bloom every 400 years.”
Users adored the beauty of this plant, and many believed this to be factual, observed by the comments. The image was viral among WhatsApp users also, narrating that our generation was lucky enough to see the Pagoda blossoming, which happens once in 400 years only.
Fact Check
Firstly, we did not encounter any natural flower bearing the name «Maha Molu»
On the other hand, a flower called “Pagoda” does exist: its scientific name is Clerodendrum paniculatum, and it is native to Asia, particularly in the area between India and southeast China.
However, this plant does not bloom every 400 years. Instead, its flowering takes place every year, from mid-summer to autumn. Furthermore, the Pagoda flower’s outlook does not match the viral image.
We also did not find any real-life plant resembling the viral artwork image claiming to be a flower blooming once in 400 years. But what we can say for sure is that there is no plant reported to have a blooming period of 4 centuries.
No flower blooms once in 400 years!
To know more details about this timing of flowering, several experts consulted by the Australian Associated Press fact-checking project clarified that there is no known plant anywhere in the world that flowers every 400 years.
Our Factcrescendo team also contacted Dr. M. Sabu, a Botany Professor in Kerala, who confirmed, “The claim that plants bloom just once every 400 years is a complete hoax.”
The Guinness Book of World Records for the slowest flowering plant is from Bolivia. That is between 80-150 years. More on that here | Archived
Furthermore, this is not the first time that the hoax of 400 years blooming flower has surfaced. A pointed shape, white and yellow flower is also often shared among social media users as the Mahameru flower that blooms in the Himalayas once in 4 centuries. The fact check done over that flower can be read here.
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Conclusion
Fact Crescendo found the famous hoax of a 400-year-old blooming flower attached to an artwork that doesn’t resemble any real-life plant. Even though the ‘Pagoda flower’ does exist, it blooms annually. There isn’t any reported flower that blooms once in 400 years.
Title:Don’t be Misled by Flowers Blooming in The Himalayas Once In 400 Years!
Fact Check By: Kalana KrishanthaResult: False
