Almost 20,000 people visited the Sydney Botanic Gardens to catch a whiff of the endangered plant known as the “dead man’s flower” as it bloomed.
Called Putricia, the titan arum plant emits a putrid odor that has been compared to “something rotting” or “hot garbage” for 24 hours after flowering.
The smell is the result of chemical production that takes place in the plant to attract pollinators.
The endangered flower – native to Sumatra, Indonesia – blooms in the wild only every 7-10 years. There are thought to be fewer than 1,000 plants in the world, including those that are cultivated.
