The corpse flower, which appears only once every few years, smells like a rotting corpse, and is pollinated by flies, is in bloom for the very first time at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas.
The strange-looking inflorescence of the rare Amorphophallus titanum only appears once the plant has matured at 7 to 10 years. After that, it opens every 4 to 5 years, and when it does it emits a stench that attracts insects that proliferate on rotting carcasses.
The plant is large, reaching heights of more than ten feet, and while it is interesting-looking, it is not conventionally beautiful. Its scientific name, Amorphophallus, might give some insight into its particular form (the prefix “amorpho-” means “misshapen” or “without shape.”)
And then there’s the smell.
“The compounds that create the odor have been identified and described as smelling like cheese, garlic, smelly feet, diapers, or rotten fish,” the Botanical Garden said on its website.
The scent of the flower, which is also called the titan arum or the voodoo lily, entices bugs that are attracted to rotting meat, such as flies and carrion beetles, and repurposes them as pollinators.
The bloom, as interesting as it is, is not just a novelty for tourists. It also supplies raw materials that will be used for future conservation and research.
“Botanic gardens across the world work together to preserve the genetic diversity of plants like this one by sharing pollen, seed, and plant materials,” said the facility.
“San Diego Botanic Garden will collect and store pollen from the bloom, with hopes of sharing out to other botanic gardens to broaden the gene pool and help conserve this magnificent plant.”
But if you’re going to catch a whiff, you’d better move fast. The plant is only in bloom for about 48 hours, which means you have until Friday at the latest to see it.
