Rare once-a-decade ‘corpse flower’ bloom attracts thousands of visitors in Australia

Rare once-a-decade ‘corpse flower’ bloom attracts thousands of visitors in Australia

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Take a look at time lapse video of the infamous corpse flower blooming in 2021. The San Diego Botanic Garden reports that the plants require 7-10 years for the first bloom and only bloom every 5 to 7 years.

GEELONG, Australia – This week, visitors to the Geelong Botanic Gardens in southeast Australia got a big whiff of a vile stench over the past couple of days, all stemming from the short-lived bloom of a corpse flower.

As suggested in its name, the corpse flower produces a scent similar to that of rotting flesh when it blooms as a way to attract pollinators.

Officials said the bloom only lasts for 24-48 hours and happens as infrequently as once in 10 years.

Visitors snap photos of the Corpse Flower in it's rare bloom at the Huntington Library on September 13, 2023 in San Marino, California.

FILE: Visitors snap photos of  the Corpse Flower in it’s rare bloom at the Huntington Library on September 13, 2023 in San Marino, California. 

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images)

After showing initial signs of a bloom early last week, the corpse flower finally began to open on Monday around 12 p.m. By that evening, it was in full bloom.

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“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from the community who came in their thousands to see this extremely rare event,” Geelong Botanic Gardens officials said.

The gardens even hosted a livestream, allowing people from around the world to witness the bloom.

A child holds her nose while viewing the Corpse Flower during it's brief bloom, as it is displayed at the Botanical Gardens section of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, on August 28, 2023.

FILE: A child holds her nose while viewing the Corpse Flower during it’s brief bloom, as it is displayed at the Botanical Gardens section of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, on August 28, 2023.

(Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images)

The shot of the flower included an inset showing readings from a thermal camera, as the corpse flower heats up to about 100 degrees F as it blooms.  

According to officials, the livestream already had more than 55,000 views by Saturday.

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The corpse flower is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, but grown in botanic gardens, such as the Geelong Botanic Gardens, around the world.

Corpse flowers are quite large, with their inner spike growing nearly 10 feet tall, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Corpse flowers cultivated at the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Corpse flowers cultivated at the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens / FOX Weather)

Known under the scientific name Amorphophallus titanum, corpse flowers are rare, with fewer than 1,000 left in the wild, the U.S. Botanical Garden said. 

They are listed as an Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.