The claim

Apparently the pagoda flower only blooms every 400 years in Tibet. And everyone who sees them will be lucky for a lifetime. At least that's what it says on this sharepic, which is supposed to show the plant mentioned.

Our conclusion

The widespread image looks like an AI-generated illustration and does not provide any clarifying results when reverse image searches occur. The alleged “pagoda flower” is also referred to as Maha Molu or Mahameru, although the latter claim has already been debunked. The claim that this plant exists and only blooms every 400 years is unproven.

Everyone who sees the pagoda flower in its extremely rare bloom is said to be lucky for a lifetime. A beautiful story based on a botanical peculiarity. But is that also true?

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot

Apart from the fact that this picture looks more like a painting or AI-generated, we would say without much thought and in a very layman's botanical way: "That's a tree!" - and not a flower.

If we search for this picture, all we find are other posts on various social media that either share the same statement or do not comment further on the picture at all. The fact that we can't find anything on TinEye suggests that the image hasn't been circulating for long and is therefore still "very young", which could indicate an AI-generated image.

The pagoda flower

If we look for the pagoda flower, we will find it. However, it is a plant with more red-orange flowers.

Pagoda flower / Image: Pexels
Pagoda flower / Image: Pexels

The flower, whose botanical name “Clerodendrum paniculatum” , is native to tropical Asia and is widespread there. It prefers sparse forests and proximity to wetlands.

However, it has nothing in common with the picture, which shows a tree similar to a weeping willow.

The pagoda tree

Since the picture shows more of a tree, we look for that too and find it. But the pagoda tree – Japanese string tree / “Styphnolobium japonicum” – does not look anything like the tree shown in the picture.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Pagoda flower or Maha Molu or Mahameru?

Using the app “Mood” we find the picture of the alleged pagoda flower with the addition that it is also called “Maha Molu” and is a unique lucky flower in Tibet. There is also agreement regarding the flowering period: every 400 years.

Screenshot Mood
Screenshot Mood

also shared on Twitter with the information that it is the “pagoda flower”:

There is also the addition that she is also known as “Mahameru”. – And then our doorbell rings. “Mahameru” is an old friend for us.

The Mahameru Blossom

We already reported on this flower in 2019, which is also said to only bloom every 400 years ( HERE )
. The fact that it can be found in the Himalayas also agrees with the claims about the pagoda flower. But during our fact check, we came to the conclusion that this plant does not exist. At least not in or around Tibet. The photos that circulated to support the claim about the Mahameru flower come from the US state of Arizona and show the “ Carnegiea gigantea ”, popularly known as the “Western Cactus”.

Rarely flowering plants

They actually exist: plants that only bloom rarely, or if they do, then only for a very short time. Such botanical wonders are summarized on the StarInsider Here you can find e.g. B. the titan arum , which only blooms for about two days. Or Youtan Poluo , which is considered auspicious in Buddhism and is said to only bloom every 3,000 years. Puya raimondii also one of the rarities worth mentioning, as it can live for over 100 years, but only blooms once during this time and then slowly dies.

There is no pagoda flower to be found here, no pagoda tree or Mahameru flower.

Conclusion

Rating: FALSE

The common image is strongly reminiscent of the look of AI-generated works or looks more like an illustration, which does not provide any informative results via the reverse image search.

A lot of things are also mixed together here. Other names also appear for the image of the alleged “pagoda flower”, such as: B. Maha Molu or Mahameru. We were able to refute the claim about Mahameru four years ago.

It cannot be proven that they only bloom every 400 years. In addition, it would be an outstanding botanical peculiarity that a wide variety of media would certainly report on. But here too: none.

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