The titan arum flower, which emits a smell similar to that of a dead animal, has attracted a swarm of visitors to the Adelaide Botanic Garden to marvel at this rare plant.
Titan arum, also known as the “corpse flower”, releases a foul odor to attract carrion flies, sweat bees, and beetles for pollination. The scent of this world’s most pungent flower can travel kilometers away, according to the Guardian.
Each year, the titan arum only blooms a few times for approximately 48 hours. Its rarity has led thousands of people to line up for hours at the Adelaide Botanic Garden in Australia to witness its bloom.
Matt Coulter, the propagation supervisor at the Adelaide Botanic Garden, mentioned that the stench of the titan arum in the greenhouse can be overwhelming enough to make him plug his nose.
The titan arum blooms for a brief 48 hours. (Photo: Adelaide Botanic Garden).
The titan arum is native to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Deforestation for palm oil production has significantly reduced the population of this plant. The titan arum was officially listed as an endangered species in 2018.
In an effort to conserve this species, Indonesian authorities have sent seeds to several botanical gardens. At the Adelaide Botanic Garden, Mr. Coulter has begun propagating more plants through leaf cuttings.
In fact, the titan arum resembles a flower, but it is made up of a cluster of flowers growing on a stalk. Each titan arum cluster can reach heights of up to 2 meters, weigh as much as 150 kilograms, and emits a smell compared to that of a dead rat.
“The largest cluster in our garden weighs up to 76 kilograms and stands at 2.6 meters tall,” Mr. Coulter told the Guardian.
According to Mr. Coulter, the crowds visiting the botanic garden often become excited and gather near the titan arum cluster whenever this unique plant blooms, despite the foul odor it emits.
