Conservatory Planted the Smelliest Flower — and Thousands of People Gathered to Watch It Bloom

Putricia, as it was known, rose from the bed of gravelly soil, towering nearly 2 feet in the air. Surrounding it inside the glasshouse was a circle of lush plants and a brown curtain on the fourth. The entire setting was guarded. As Putricia started opening its trumpet-shaped mouth, torrents of human visitors rushed to witness its rare bloom. During the next three days in January this year, the behemoth Palm House of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Australia turned into a fashion ramp where Putricia was the showstopper. It was bizarre because Putricia releases the world’s most putrid stink and unbearable stench.

Smelliest flower in the world

Called “titan arum” in scientific lingo, Putricia is hailed as the smelliest flowering plant in the world, whose smell is often reminiscent of wet socks, hot cat food, rotting carcasses, or rotting possum flesh. According to a press release by the Australian Garden, this flower blooms only once every few years for just 24 hours. The first time it was caught blooming was in 2004, when more than 18,000 people flocked towards the Southern Hemisphere to watch it, or to say it in better words, to smell it.

Endangered species from Indonesian forests

BBC explains that the flower is found only in rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is known as “bunga bangkai” or “corpse flower” in Indonesian. Its scientific name is “Amorphophallus titanum,” which is derived from Ancient Greek and means "giant misshapen penis." When blooming, the flower releases a strong odor that tricks pollinators like carrion beetles and flesh flies into thinking that it’s decaying meat. But the moment they land on the flower, they unknowingly become pollinators by transferring pollen between male and female specimens.

Rare blooming event

In the time-lapse footage shared by the garden’s team, Putricia appears with green tendril-like pleats twisting and spiralling to form its trumpet-shaped cup. Jutting outwards from this cup was a lime-yellow spadix that resembled a corn cob. Once the team shifted Putricia into the glasshouse for exhibition, the trumpet cup started opening and turning darker in color. Sophie Daniel, the Manager of Interpretation & Placemaking, explained in a press release that the team designed “a right royal display inspired by Queen Victoria’s funeral, crossed with a little shop of horrors, a little homage to David Lynch, some gothic funeral parlour vibes and a dash of vintage side show.”

Pollinating the 'Corpse flower'

During the first night of the short bloom, Alyse Baume, Conservation Horticulturist, walked into the glasshouse to hand-fertilize Putricia with donated pollen. After delicately slicing a square into its spathe, he used a paintbrush to fertilize it in hopes of producing more seeds. By the second night, Putricia’s sacs were already oozing with matured pollen. The pollens were rushed into the care of Australian PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, where they were carefully secured inside cold storage.

Meanwhile, Putricia’s rare blooming event continues to attract people’s attention. “Putricia did a good job presenting herself in full bloom. May her bloom, smell, and her spirit linger on,” said @rabidleroy in a comment. @jjjnettie said, “It was wonderful how Putricia brought people together from across the globe.” @skullivanderart wrote, “Oh Putricia, my queen! Even in decline, she is beautiful.” Many people were saddened after noticing how Putricia’s bloom gradually withered away. But it’s not its death, they believe. It is just dormant. It's just another 10 years before it wakes up again and endows humans with its putrifying stench, a rare opportunity our future generations wouldn't want to miss.

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