The Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the corpse flower, is the ‘world’s stinkiest flower’. It emits a terrible smell and has sprouted into a 2m tall colourful flower
A rare corpse flower that smells like rotting flesh has successfully bloomed at a botanical garden in Scotland.
Known as the ‘world’s stinkiest flower,’ the Amorphophallus titanum emits a terrible smell and has sprouted into a 2m tall colourful flower. Native only to the Indonesian island of West Sumatra, the corpse flower weighs up to 220lbs and can grow to almost double the height of a human adult.
After a six hour blooming process it is now ready to welcome the up to 1,400 guest to have a sniff at the currently closed Glasshouses of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It is so rare in the UK that when it bloomed at the garden in 2015, it was a first for Scotland.
And it has now successfully burst into bloom there for a remarkable fifth time. Often called the corpse flower, it generally blooms at night and emits a distinctive odour to attract the attention of carrion insects to achieve its pollination.
The bloom has only been possible due to the expert care of dedicated conservation horticulturists who succeeded in replicating the natural habitat conditions of a rain forest in an area of the northern hemisphere prone to long winters and short summers.
Its presence has provided Edinburgh horticulturists and plant scientists with an unprecedented opportunity to study its behaviour and provide contributory data to ensure the species now has some protection by being officially recognised as “endangered” in the wild.
Nathan Kelso, horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Garden, said: “It’s really big and really interesting – but it’s also an endangered plant in the wild, with really interesting cultivation methods. It’s quite a long-lived plant. It comes up as a leaf for a few years, so it’s a long time of looking after what is essentially just a giant leaf.
“This is not a tropical country, so we have to try and get it through Scottish winters before it sprouts this amazing big flower that we’ve got. People usually have a mix of “wow” and “ew” – it seems to hit some people more than others. Some people come in holding their nose and feeling faint at the smell of it
“It’s quite a magnificent beast. You can tell someone it’s two metres tall, but until you’re standing in front of it, people don’t realise what that’s like in a flower.”
Sadie Barber, Research Collections Manager, added: “The same plant flowering five times is a rare thing, and is likely a result of us holding what was potentially the world’s largest ever corm. This fifth bloom of our 22-year-old Amorphophallus titanum brings the story of a magnificent plant to the start of an exciting new chapter.
“There is still so much to learn about the biology and behaviour of this enigmatic species, to be the guardians of an amazing specimen and its progeny, raised over the years, is to have the ongoing opportunity to learn from them. While it is hard not being able to allow the public in to enjoy regular access to the Glasshouses during the renovations, we are really excited to be sharing this incredible sight, it is a measure of the conservation activity continuing behind closed doors.”
