The New York Botanical Garden’s “corpse flower” is currently blooming, but if you want to catch a whiff of the deathly odor, you’ll have to act fast…
The Amorphophallus titanum plant is known for the pungent fragrance it releases that is reminiscent of rotting flesh, hence the nickname – “corpse flower.” The corpse flower plant, which is native to western Sumatra, Indonesia, only blooms once every few years, and that’s only after the plant reaches full blooming size – which itself takes 7 to 10 years.
This guy is going for it:
According to the New York Botanical Garden manager Marc Hachadourian, the chemical compounds released by the flower that constitute the odor are similar to those released by rotting meat, rotting fish, human feces and even limburger cheese.
The last time the NYBG had a corpse flower bloom on view was back in 1939.
Here’s a photo of old-timey dudes experiencing the odor:
The bloom only lasts about a day and half, so if you want to catch a whiff of this rare event, you’ll have to get down to the NYBG today or tomorrow. So go forth and smell the fragrance of rotting flesh!
Or, you can listen to these guys smell it while they explain more about the plant:
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