Two titan arums, also known as corpse flowers, have bloomed at the Cairns Botanic Gardens in Far North Queensland, with two more expected to open in the coming days. The plants produce a large burgundy flowering structure that can exceed 3 metres in height and emits a powerful odour likened to rotting flesh or bin juice. The inflorescence only appears for about 24 hours once every few years.
Curator Charles Clarke said it was “something of a record” to have four plants flowering in such a short period, noting that the Bonn botanic gardens in Germany likely hold the overall record. More than 2,000 people have visited the attraction since the first plant fully flowered on Monday.
Visitors described the smell in various ways, including “a bit rubbishy,” “like rotting tropical fruit,” and “pretty disgusting.” A survey by the gardens narrowed down descriptions to “bin juice, dead animals such as wallaby and rat, with a slight background flavour of rotting fish.”
The titan arum is native to West Sumatra in Indonesia and is listed as endangered due to deforestation. The first flowers grown outside their native habitat were cultivated at Kew Gardens in the UK in 1889. Dr Clarke noted that the species thrives in tropical Cairns, which has a near-perfect climate for them.
Dr Clarke expected the current round of flowering to conclude by the end of the week, with another bloom possibly opening in the next day or two.
