Australia is witnessing an unusual horticultural event with the third bloom of the rare and fascinating 'corpse flower' within a span of just three months. This unique flower, scientifically known as Amorphophallus titanum, is famous for its pungent scent reminiscent of decaying flesh, a characteristic that has piqued the curiosity and the noses of thousands of Australians.
In the national capital, Canberra, the latest bloom unfolded at the Australian National Botanic Gardens to much fanfare. This notable event marks the flower’s first bloom there in 15 years, drawing attention over the weekend before it began to close on Monday. Similarly impressive specimens recently bloomed in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens late January, attracting 20,000 intrigued admirers, while the first in this sequence made its mark at the Geelong Botanic Gardens near Melbourne last November.
Native to the rainforests of western Sumatra in Indonesia, the corpse flower is known as 'bunga bangkai' in its indigenous language. Typically, the plant blooms only once every 7 to 10 years. Highly endangered, there are believed to be only 300 specimens left in their natural habitat, with less than 1,000 existing globally, including cultivated specimens.
Canberra’s acting nursery manager, Carol Dale, expressed surprise at the recent spate of blooms in Australia, mentioning that there is no definitive explanation for this occurrence. She noted, however, that a common theory points to the plants reaching a similar age, allowing them to store sufficient energy in their underground tubers, referred to as corms, required for blooming.
“It’s peculiar that these plants would simultaneously bloom across various regions despite differences in climate and cultivation practices,” Dale said. Canberra’s environment, which experiences occasional snowfall, was thought less than ideal for the corpse plant’s growth. However, the surprise bloom defied expectations, providing a welcome and fragrant anomaly.
The corpse flower’s stature, reaching 135 centimeters (approximately 53 inches) in height, along with its notorious scent, drew in numerous plant enthusiasts. Given space limitations within the greenhouse, a ticketing system was employed, managing the influx of visitors eager to experience the plant’s unique characteristics first-hand.
Admiration of the flower, which began its bloom around noon on Saturday, quickly evolved as the notorious smell intensified by Saturday evening, becoming discernible from across the road. Descriptions of the odor varied widely, with it being compared to the smell of decaying animals, rotten eggs, sweaty socks, and garbage.
By Monday, the flower’s scent had somewhat diminished. “The most potent stage has passed, though up-close it still possesses a strong odor of rotting flesh,” Dale shared. Despite its limited window of bloom, the large flower had succeeded in captivating both botany enthusiasts and the general public alike, offering a rare glimpse into the enigmatic and stinky wonder of the plant world.
