Thousands recently gathered at Geelong Botanic Gardens in Victoria, Australia, to witness the blooming of the rare ‘corpse flower’ (Amorphophallus titanum), famous for its odor resembling rotting flesh.
The corpse flower, which blooms only every 7 to 10 years and lasts just 24 to 48 hours, began its bloom on Monday, November 11. Around 5,000 visitors flocked to the garden on the first day, said Reese McIlvena from Geelong Parks to CNN affiliate Nine News. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream allowed viewers worldwide to experience this rare event, according to Fox Weather.
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The plant arrived at Geelong Botanic Gardens in 2021 from South Australia’s State Herbarium, and horticulturalists have been eagerly awaiting signs of blooming. City of Greater Geelong Chief Executive Ali Wastie highlighted the garden staff’s role in protecting endangered species, noting, “The endangered Titan Arum is the largest species of carrion flower and its preservation is important as the wild population is in decline,” Wastie told Nine News.
Native to Indonesia, the corpse flower is classified as ‘endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, with its Sumatran habitat threatened by deforestation and land degradation due to timber, paper, and oil palm plantations, as reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
This remarkable plant can live 30 to 40 years, yet it remains rare in the wild, with only a few hundred known. It is now legally protected in Indonesia, while dozens of botanical gardens worldwide, including one in California, where the public named it ‘Darth Vapour,’ propagate the plant as part of the IUCN’s conservation efforts.
One of the largest flowers in the world, the corpse flower can grow up to 9-10 feet tall. Its distinctive structure features a towering spadix encircled by a thick spathe, resembling raw meat.
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