Last Monday, the San Diego Botanic Garden welcomed nearly 200 visitors to see the brief bloom of the rare Amorphophallus titanum plant.
In the United States, the exotic Sumatran jungle plants, also known as the "corpse plants," are rarely found in public gardens. They're famous for their massive blossoms, which produce a horrible, pulsating odor of decaying flesh when they're in full bloom. The famous flower bloomed on Halloween evening in the San Diego Botanic Garden after a month-long growth cycle.
The bloom lasts for 48 hours, according to Horticulture Manager John Clements, who is one of a few garden personnel who have researched the plant, and it is unlikely to blossom again for the following three to four years. He further reported that once the clock struck midnight on Sunday night, the plant's odor grew stronger and more noxious. The flower's spadix temperature rose from 75 to 97 degrees thanks to thermogenesis, and it is now at its peak bloom and scent.
The flower was 6-foot-tall and in full bloom when Monday morning dawned, with blood-red petal spathes that progressively turned deep maroon. A wave of odor would float from the plant every few minutes, even though its aroma was more muted. The guests, on the other hand, were unaffected by the odor as more people arrived to see the bloom.
Images by: Jarrod Valliere/The San Diego Union-Tribune