Titan Arum Flower

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Posted 2018-10-12 by Paula McManus ⇒ follow

It's the rockstar of the flower world and is about to "do its thing". But beware - you'll need to pop a peg on your nose in order to be there when it opens.

The Titan Arum is a rare and endangered flower that originates from Sumatra. It's due to open in the next day or two and the Adelaide Botanical Gardens are expecting huge crowds to line up and see it. In December 2015, a Titan Arum flowered at the Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens and more than 4000 people lined up to see it. In Melbourne, the last time this smelly flower opened it attracted 20,000 people!

The attraction is that the Titan Arum (or Corpse Flower) is the largest flower in the world, growing to a height of nearly 3 metres and can weigh up to 115kgs! And, when it flowers it does so for only 48 hours before it dissolves into a rotten, mushy heap of mulch.

When the flower is in bloom, it smells. It smells really bad. It has the stench of decomposing flesh mixed with the pungent smell of Limburger cheese , onions, smelly feet and rotting fish. This horrid smell spreads far and wide and attracts pollinators to the flower.

It's not known exactly when the flower will open, but I was there today (11th October) and the staff were busy installing a time-lapse camera to capture the flower as it blooms. By the look of the activity surrounding the flower, I would say that the opening is imminent. All of the latest updates on the Corpse Flower will be posted on the Adelaide Botanic Gardens Facebook page - so check in often if you're keen to experience this unusual event.

Visitors to Adelaide Botanic Garden are advised that there may be a long queue to see the flower, so they should come prepared with water, sunscreen and a hat.

Paid parking is available on Plane Tree Drive but visitors are strongly encouraged to use public transport due to the expected high level of interest and also due to the Foreigner "Live in the Park" concert, being held in Botanic Park on Sunday, October 14th.

The Titan Arum is on display in the Bicentennial Conservatory - more information is available on the Botanic Garden website.

The Bicentennial Conservatory is open daily from 10am till 5pm. Entry is free.