Massive crowds are lining up for a rare glimpse of an exotic giant flower that only opens every seven to 10 years and unleashes the sickening smell of rotting flesh.
The so-called ‘corpse flower’, which comes from Indonesia and has a botanical designation of Amorphophallus Titanum, is already well into its 48-hour decade-in-the-making bloom at Geelong Botanic Gardens.
The gardens located an hour’s drive south west of Melbourne, has opened its conservatory for 24 hours so everyone can catch the rare sight of the huge purple petals and experience the off-putting aroma.
Geelong Botanic Gardens co-ordinator Kellee Reissinger told Nine News she had heard the flower’s smell described as ‘a mix between vomit and maybe some dog faeces’.
Hundreds have already filed past the rare flower but for those unable to make it in person, the venue has set up a video livestream.
A bloom will exhaust the flower’s energy and after that wilts, the plant will retreat underground to build up the stores to grow and open again in another 10 years time.
The scent used to attract attract carrion eating insects comes from a group of volatile molecules produced by the plant.
These include dimethyl disulfide (garlic), dimethyl trisulfide (rotten flesh), methyl thioacetate (sulfur) and isovaleric acid (cheese or sweat).
A so-called giant ‘corpse flower’, which takes 10 years to open, has bloomed at the Geelong Botanic Gardens
The smell has been described as ‘a mix between vomit and maybe dog faeces’
As chemical processes heat up the plant it can sometimes even start steaming.
Ms Reissinger told The Age the flower is attracting insects also keen on reproducing by finding a suitable carcass.
‘The insects are running around, trying to find the best place to lay their eggs, and while they do that they are running around all over the male and female parts of the flowers,’ she said.
‘They will leave disappointed – but covered in the plant’s pollen. If this were Sumatra, they would hopefully encounter another corpse flower to spread it.’
Corpse flowers grow only naturally in Indonesia’s tropical Sumatra and Java jungles but are an endangered species.
Their numbers are threatened by encroaching palm oil plantations with only an estimated 1000 still in the wild.
The plants that only grow naturally in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Java regions are an endangered species
The conservatory where the flower has grown will be open for 24 hours to allow as many visitors through to experience the rare event
Gardens and conservatories around the world are attempting to preserve the species.
The corpse flower in Geelong was grown from a gifted seed sent from the Adelaide Botanic Garden.
Adelaide’s corpse flower bloomed last year.
