(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — It starts with a gag reflex.—it’s a smell that creeps up on you. A slow, sinister wave of rot, as if the earth itself had exhaled 10,000 dead bodies still fresh and only beginning to decay. Your stomach lurches. Your eyes water. Somewhere in your brain, a primal alarm screams: Get out. But as you turn, it dawns on you—this isn’t a crime scene or an abandoned Canoga Park dumpster. It’s a flower. Towering, alien, and unapologetically vile, the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) isn’t just a plant—it’s nature’s most grotesque, jaw-dropping performance art masterpiece.
Native to Sumatra, Indonesia, the corpse flower is an enigma of the plant world. When it blooms, every seven to ten years, it unleashes a potent stench described as rotting flesh, decomposing pork, or “a garbage truck in the middle of an East Coast heatwave.” This nauseating odor is no accident. It’s a cunning trick of nature, designed to lure carrion beetles and flesh flies to pollinate the flower. The bloom lasts just 24 to 48 hours, making its brief, putrid presentation a must-see—and must-smell—event.
Recently, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden hosted a corpse flower relative, Amorphophallus gigas, affectionately named “Smelliot.” For the first time, this variety bloomed in New York City, attracting thousands of visitors eager to experience its towering size and infamous odor. “It’s like someone left a fish out in the sun and wrapped it in gym socks,” one visitor said, plugging their nose with a tissue. Long lines stretched across the garden as people braved the stink to witness this rare natural marvel.
Meanwhile, across the globe, Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden unveiled “Putricia,” a corpse flower that hadn’t bloomed in 15 years. The smell? Imagine “a dead possum roasting on a hot Australian road,” as one visitor described it. Despite the stomach-churning scent, thousands flocked to the garden to marvel at the flower’s size, color, and unique ability to make people recoil while still snapping selfies. Over 100,000 people tuned into the live stream to witness the bloom from a safe distance, far from the olfactory assault.
In late 2023, “Mongo,” Appalachian State University’s corpse flower, bloomed after 12 years of anticipation. Students, staff, and visitors alike packed into the university’s greenhouse, tightly clutching their noses. Still, over 3,000 visitors showed up in person, while thousands more watched online, proving that even the most nauseating experiences can be unforgettable.
San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers also got in on the action in July 2023, when “Scarlet,” their beloved corpse flower, bloomed to the delight—and horror—of over 7,200 in-person visitors. According to one visitor, “It’s like someone blended rotten eggs with roadkill.” Despite the stench, over 62,000 people tuned in virtually, ensuring Scarlet’s infamy reached a global audience.
Even tech giant Amazon wasn’t immune to the corpse flower craze. In Seattle, the Amazon Spheres hosted two blooms, “Morticia” in 2018 and “Bellatrix” in 2019. Both events drew thousands of visitors and colorful descriptions of the stench. One particularly vivid guest likened it to “a city dump on fire in the middle of August, but somehow worse.” The blooms cemented the corpse flower’s reputation as the most revolting yet mesmerizing plant in the world.
Beyond the spectacle, the corpse flower is a poignant symbol of conservation. Its native habitat in Sumatra is rapidly disappearing due to deforestation, and the flower’s survival is under threat. By hosting blooms in botanical gardens and public spaces, institutions around the world not only delight audiences but also raise awareness about the importance of preserving biodiversity.
To see—and smell—a corpse flower in bloom is to step into the surreal. It’s not just a plant; it’s a performance, an olfactory onslaught, and a reminder of nature’s power to amaze and disgust in equal measure. Whether you call it “Smelliot,” “Putricia,” or “Scarlet,” the corpse flower proves that sometimes, the most unforgettable experiences are the ones that make you hold your breath—literally.
