This flower is not rare and blooms every year
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on March 19, 2020 at 08:55
- 1 min read
- By AFP Singapore
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The photo was published here on Facebook on February 26, 2020.
It has been shared more than 300 times.
The caption reads: “This is a rare flower of called Mahameru of Tibet that blooms once every 400 years. It’s auspicious to see it even as a photo.....share please.”
Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:
The photo has also been shared here, here, here, here and here on Facebook alongside a similar claim.
The claim is false.
A combined keyword and reverse image search found the photo in this newsletter published by the Ireland-based Alpine Garden Society in 2011.
According to the UK-based horticultural charity Plants For A Future, Rheum nobile, also known as Sikkim rhubarb, is native to the alpine regions of the Himalayas, and flowers from July to August.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the Alpine Garden Society newsletter (R):
The misleading claim was also debunked by Snopes here.
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