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A revolting stench rather like rotting flesh

Posted by Robin on 26 April 2009 26 Comments

For when it blooms – which experts predict should occur in the next few days – it will release not the fragrant scent of most flowers, but a revolting stench rather like rotting flesh.

And to make matters worse, two Arums are due to flower at the same time – a first in Kew Gardens’ 250-year history.

— Two Titan arums, aka corpse flower, are expected to bloom at Kew Gardens soon. Read more at Kew! What a giant pong - two of the world’s smelliest flowers are just about to bloom at Daily Mail. 

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: corpse flower, london, titan arum

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26 Comments

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  1. gvillecreative says:
    26 April 2009 at 10:55 am

    That’s sort of how I feel about Tuberose… (laughing)

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    • Robin says:
      26 April 2009 at 11:34 am

      Ack…surely not as bad as all that!

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    • boojum says:
      26 April 2009 at 11:45 am

      LOL! I’m almost there with you. It’s one of the few notes that immediately put a scent on my “don’t even bother” list. Of course, I usually DO bother anyway, then wonder why I didn’t listen to myself.

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      • gvillecreative says:
        26 April 2009 at 1:42 pm

        Agreed! Why oh why do I keep trying with a note that I know that I don’t like??

        I came down with a really bad stomach flu the same day that I tested a really strong Tuberose scent… now, I totally associate the scent with that feeling of being ill. When it really dominates and stands out, tuberose literally makes my stomach turn. I hope that this changes down the road.

        Now Mimosa on the other hand, I like, but only as part of a larger composition.

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        • boojum says:
          26 April 2009 at 8:21 pm

          Ditto on the mimosa too. Now I’m going to start stalking your comments to see if I have another sniffing proxy. :D

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    • Daisy says:
      26 April 2009 at 12:10 pm

      LOL —ah, you’re killing me! too funny, and yet, change ‘tuberose’ to ‘mimosa’ and I’ll agree most wholeheartedly! Although tuberose I and have ‘issues’ as well…
      Very cool article. I might have to go find that series to watch. We love all things discovery channel, history channel etc.

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  2. RusticDove says:
    26 April 2009 at 12:21 pm

    I think there are a couple of different plants that have horrid smelling blooms – it’s because of the type of insect they’re trying to attract to pollinate it. Pretty amazing stuff.

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    • Robin says:
      26 April 2009 at 2:43 pm

      These are really fascinating plants.

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    • Tama says:
      26 April 2009 at 2:58 pm

      My housemate had a cactus that had a bloom that smelled like dirty socks. Fortunately it only bloomed once a year.

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      • Robin says:
        26 April 2009 at 7:01 pm

        LOL!

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  3. moon_grrl says:
    26 April 2009 at 1:52 pm

    How appropriate that I chose today to wear my Titan Arum t-shirt from the blooming of one at a near-by university this past summer! (http://www.eiu.edu/~biology/news/titan_arum.htm)

    The smell of rotting meat could be detected a full four blocks away from that bloom when we went to see it. Two at once? WOOF.

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    • Robin says:
      26 April 2009 at 2:43 pm

      Lucky you! Would love to smell one of these. Two might be more than I’d need to smell, LOL…

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  4. raluca says:
    26 April 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Isn’t that bizarre? Why the plant feels like blooming once in 250 or more years? Why so in a hurry, if she could stay flowerless for so long?
    Maybe the smell is not as bad as they say.

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    • Robin says:
      26 April 2009 at 7:02 pm

      I think it blooms every 7 or so years?

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  5. lovethescents says:
    26 April 2009 at 4:10 pm

    This is incredibly interesting…I have never smelled a flower that I thought was foul, but the Asian fruit, durian, smells like rotten eggs but tastes absolutely delicious!

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    • Robin says:
      26 April 2009 at 7:02 pm

      That’s what I hear — have never had one!

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    • asuperlongusername says:
      26 April 2009 at 8:04 pm

      When I lived in China, there was this large, spiky melon-like fruit that smelled so awful that we would go by it as quickly as possible. I never knew what it was called but that might be it.

      Never did get around to eating it.

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  6. Joe says:
    26 April 2009 at 4:28 pm

    Just out of curiosity, it makes me wish I had visited our campus greenhouse when ours bloomed in 2002:
    http://www.instadv.ucsb.edu/93106/2002/September23/rare.html

    Though according to the story, it should have either bloomed again since then or will be again soon. I can’t believe it’s been seven years since I read that story! Where does time go??

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    • Robin says:
      26 April 2009 at 7:02 pm

      Yes, sounds like it’s due for another bloom, assuming they’ve kept it alive!

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  7. Liane says:
    26 April 2009 at 9:42 pm

    It sounds like the vile things that fall off the ginkgo tree in my neighborhood every fall right by our elementary school. The first time I smelled it, I assumed some child had upchucked. Nature is curious!

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    • moon_grrl says:
      27 April 2009 at 9:15 am

      Oh, yeah, gingko fruit STINKS. The university I work at has a couple of female gingko trees outside of the quad and you’re right, it does resemble the scent of vomit.

      Still, the arum bloom smells like a dumpster full of rotting hamburger. It’s quite revolting and yet so interesting!

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    • Robin says:
      27 April 2009 at 12:00 pm

      Yes, those are all over DC, I remember them well!

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  8. SmokeyToes says:
    26 April 2009 at 11:28 pm

    A few years back I was in SF’s Golden Gate Park in time for their Arum flower to bloom. The lines were terribly long, I took my mother in law, we were both so excited.
    In the end, I missed the bloom by. one. day. Bummer.. :(

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    • Robin says:
      27 April 2009 at 12:01 pm

      Oh, what a shame! I would almost think the smell would have lingered in the air…

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  9. Kelly Red says:
    27 April 2009 at 12:33 pm

    One of these flowers bloomed at the Univ of Minnesota biology dept a few years ago. They opened up the conservatory to the public and I naturally went over. Man, you have never smelled a stink like that!! Little kids holding their nose, some adults looked slightly ashen. You could smell the thing down the hallway, I felt sorry for anyone with a nearby office. If you’ve ever smelled a dead animal, even a mouse, magnify it 10 times and you have the idea.

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    • Robin says:
      27 April 2009 at 1:42 pm

      Wow. You’ve nearly talked me out of wanting to smell it. Best on a cool day, maybe?

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