I'm late with the news, but a Titan Arum (aka corpse flower) bloomed at the Huntington Botanical Gardens this past week. You can check out pictures (or buy a great T-shirt that says "Something Stinks at The Huntington") here. Many thanks to Emily for the tip!
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I hope this wont be used as a note in any upcoming releases!
I’d like to smell one though…even though everyone says it really is quite revolting.
But if it were, Etat Libre d’Orange would be on top of it!
LOL!
That’s such a cool looking bloom! I would want to see it despite the stink.
Me too!
It would be quite the experience, and for some reason, those scratch and sniff books and stickers of my youth just popped into my mind. If they made one with the most repellent scents, this one would surely have to be in it. Living downwind from that would be quite a problem. I’d probably spend more time trying to find the moles I’d be convinced my cats must have taken out in abundance to produce such a smell, then remember I lived not too far from a most unusual and pungent bloom. I imagine those neighbors are glad it only blooms every nine years or so.
True, although I don’t think the scent lasts very long since the blooms are short lived.
The University of Wisconsin’s botany department has one, and it’s practically a local celebrity! It’s a big deal locally when it blooms, and curious crowds love to check it out. I remember heading down there the last time it bloomed, and I was a little disappointed — I think it may have been past the prime of its stinky phase. It really wasn’t that bad (not the horrible rotting-meat smell it is supposed to have)!
Interesting! I’ve heard much worse descriptions than yours — perhaps you’re right that it was past its prime.
My daughter, Eve, went to the Huntington Thursday for a tea party with her girlfriends. She went over to the Corpse flower and brought back her perceptions as well as the brochure. To her nose, the stench was like manure but worse. Eve was most intrigued by the size of the plant and the primordial look of it.
The blooms are humongous! Cool that she got to see it.
The Huntington is amazing; I haven’t been there in years and would love to see their fairly new Chinese garden. My university had a corpse flower… I need to find out if that thing is scheduled to bloom again sometime soon.
I always meant to go there when I lived in San Diego & never did.
But please do tell me you’ve been to Longwood Gardens! If not, that would be very sad. Love their conservatory.
Oh yes, that’s very nearby — we go several times a year!
I actually live within ten minutes of the place but have never been. Time to go check it out… 😉
It would be great if museums/gardens launched small perfume lines. If the Getty had a fragrance I’d totally buy it…
I’m very surprised more museums & gardens don’t do just that. There was a garden in San Diego called Quail Botanical Gardens — just loved it, and would buy a perfume from them in a second!
Oi
.Amorphophallus titanum é uma planta fascinante… gostaria de saber como é o cheiro….
Hi
The Amorphophallus titanum is a fascinating plant. It would like to know as I smell it is it…XoXo. Elisabeth
Yes, me too.
OMG, I am so envy!!
I want to know how the flower smells like since I was a kid!
This and Raflessia are the stinkiest flowers on earth, and both can be found at the country I live in, Malaysia, but someone has to go into deep jungle in order to see it, since I am not the very adventurous type, I can only imagine!
When I was little, the house I used to live in had a plant that has very pretty flowers with bright yellow petals that look a lot like daisy, I very often got attracted by the beautiful flowers and stick my noise to it only to choke myself, it stinks really bad! I still remember I ran to my mum only to get the answer that it’s the “chicken poop flower”!! Later I learned to stay away from it, i guess that’s the way I learned not to be fool by the look, LOL, but I guess I didn’t learn the lesson well, I am still salivating over Hugh Jackman, hope he smells fine 😀
and get well soon, Robin!! Bless you.
Cracked up at “chicken poop flower”, that’s hysterical! And love that you’ve managed to link it to Hugh Jackman 🙂
And of course thanks for the kind words!