Corpse plant reveals pungent smell for just second time at Dunedin Botanic Garden

January 15, 2021

The infamously pungent corpse plant has flowered at the Dunedin Botanic Garden for just the second time.

The corpse plant first flowered at the garden in 2018.

Dunedin Botanic Garden Collection curator Stephen Bishop told 1 NEWS the smell of the amorphophallus titanum's flower, better known as the “corpse flower”, is comparable to that of rotten meat or rotten vegetables.

“People seem to react to it quite differently. Some people don't really notice much of a smell. Other people, not quite dry-retching, but they find it pretty nauseating,” he said.

The flower only remains open for 24 to 36 hours, meaning the spectacle is short lived.

“There’s not much time to see it, but it is definitely worth a visit, especially because we have no idea when it might flower again in the future,” Bishop says.

When it’s not flowering, for most of its life, the plant produces a single leaf, which can grow to the size of a small tree.

“It’s sort of got a bit of a mind of its own, really. We weren't sure if it was going to bloom or just put up a leaf this time around,” Bishop said.

“When the bud started to come out of the ground, it was pretty obvious it was going to be a flower.”

Bishop said after the plant bloomed, it would return to a dormant state and lose “quite a bit of weight”.

The plant is now on display in the Winter Garden Glasshouse and viewing hours have been extended to 8am-8pm to cater for the expected demand.


SHARE ME

More Stories