07-02-2025
POLL — Would you smell this stinky flower?
Titan arum is sometimes called 'corpse flower' due to its stench
No, you didn't step in something.
The rare blooming of an endangered plant in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 23 attracted crowds who lined up to get a whiff of its famously bad smell.
The flower of the titan arum, scientific name Amorphophallus titanum, takes years to bloom and only lasts for a few days once it does.
When you think of blooming flowers, you probably think of their sweet scent.
This is not one of those flowers.
The titan arum has been nicknamed the corpse flower for its awful odour, which some compare to 'rotting meat' or a 'slaughterhouse'.
Despite that, people go out of their way to smell its blooms because they are so rare.
The funeral-inspired display for Putricia. (Image Credit: Rick Rycroft/The Associated Press)
This plant's home, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, decided to have some fun with the special occasion.
It leaned into the famous fragrance, naming the flower Putricia — a pun on the word 'putrid,' which means disgustingly smelly, and the name Patricia — and even set up a 24/7 livestream for fans to watch it bloom.
Garden staff also made a funeral-like display for the flower, complete with red velvet ropes and a black curtain.
Not quite coming up roses
Estimates say there are only 300 titan arums left in the wild.
Sophie Daniel, spokesperson for the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, said part of the problem is how rarely the flower blooms.
'When they open, they have to hope that another flower is open nearby, because they can't self-pollinate,' Daniel said.
In its natural habitat, the titan arum only blooms once every seven to 10 years.
Putricia was the first corpse flower to bloom at the botanical garden in 15 years, and drew around 20,000 visitors who hoped to catch a glimpse — and a whiff.
What does this plant smell like?
