Australia holds nose for third rancid bloom of rare corpse plant in three months

The flower bloomed for the first time in 15 years in Canberra.

A rare bloom with a pungent odour like decaying flesh has opened in the Australian capital – the nation’s third such extraordinary flowering in as many months.

The corpse flower, also known by its scientific name amorphophallus titanum, or titan arum, bloomed for the first time in its 15 years at Canberra’s Australian National Botanic Gardens on Saturday and was due to close on Monday, staff said.

Another flowered briefly in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens in late January, attracting 20,000 admirers.

Similar numbers turned out to experience another rancid bloom at the Geelong Botanic Gardens south-west of Melbourne in November.

The corpse flower in bloom — Despite the smell associated with the plant, its blooming is such a rare event that it draws crowds (AP)

It only blooms for a few days every seven to 10 years in its natural habitat. Its rancid scent attracts pollinators such as flies.

There are thought to be only 300 of the plants in the wild and fewer than 1,000 including those in cultivation.

Corpse Flower Blooms — The plant’s smell mimics rotting flesh, which draws flies and other key pollinators (AP)

A flower is produced when the titan arum has stored enough energy in its underground tuber, known as a corm.

Ms Dale said: “One of the theories is that a lot of these plants are of a similar age, so they have just stored up enough carbohydrates in the corm to finally produce a flower.

“All of the plants around Australia are held in different conditions, so it’s unusual that they’re all flowering at the same time.”

Visitors the plant — Visitors flocked to another flowering titan arum, in Brooklyn (AP)

Ms Dale said that after 15 years without a bloom, she had decided that Canberra, which occasionally receives snowfall, was not the place for a corpse plant to thrive.

“It’s been in our collection for slightly longer than these plants would normally take to flower for the first time, so we just didn’t think we had the right conditions here in Canberra,” she said.

“So yes, it did catch us by surprise; a very pleasant one,” she added.

Titan Arum plant at Kew Gardens — The plant, which can also be seen at Kew Gardens, only blooms once every few years (Ian West/PA)

“By Saturday evening, it was incredibly pungent. We could smell it from across the road. It was definitely gag-worthy,” Ms Dale said.

The crowds attracted to the 135-centimetre (53in) tall flower were limited to the hundreds by a ticketing system due to space constraints within the greenhouse.

Admirers likened the stench to a range of dead animals, rotten eggs, sweaty socks, sewage and rubbish.
Ms Dale said the worst of the smell had passed by Monday.

“We collected pollen about an hour ago and when you’re right up close to the plant, it’s still got that rotting flesh smell,” she said.