The bloom is likely closed by now and its body prepared to decompose, but over 22,000 people got a chance to see, and smell, the rotting stench of the corpse flower in Denver during the short time it opened up.
About 12,000 paying patrons stopped by the Denver Botanic Gardens last Wednesday to see the 15 year old flower just before it dies and another 9,000 visited the next day, each group waiting in lines for up to five hours to behold the rare event.
The Indonesian flower began to bloom last Tuesday evening and, as early as 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, people began trying to secure time with the stinky plant. There were already 2,000 people lined up to see the flower by noon last Wednesday.
The five-foot-tall flower's rancid odor was the strongest on Wednesday, according to Aaron Sedivy, a horticulturist at the Botanic Gardens. The smell can be described as "a chicken in a trash bag inside a metal garbage can left outside for a sunny few days," Sedivy said.
The corpse flower, titan arum, failed to disappoint some of the visitors, especially those looking for the strong stench of death. Yet, Gary Broyles, someone who performs autopsies for work, though the odor was a bit familiar.
"I definitely see the similarities between what I smell here and what I smell down at the office," said Broyles.
The smell, along with color and temperature, is meant to lure in pollinators to help ensure the future of the species, stated Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The flowers can heat up to 98 degree Fahrenheit to attract insects in search a corpse that's still warm, according to Pollak.
"The insects think the flower may be food, fly inside, realize there is nothing to eat, and fly off with pollen on their legs," said Pollak of the flower. "This process ensures the ongoing pollination of the species. Once the flower has bloomed and pollination is complete, the flower collapses."
