Smelly corpse flower becomes an attraction in Adelaide

A smelly, corpse flower is in bloom at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, and thousands of people flocked to see the rare sight. The flower is named Titan Arum. It leaves garden staff and guests in awe since Tuesday as it opened.

Titan Arum becomes an attraction at the Bicentennial Conservatory. The night viewing lasted for 48 hours.

Horticultural curator Matt Coulter described the flower as “unique.” "That's a very rare event — having the leaf with the flower at the very same time is probably a world first," Coulter told the ABC.

It typically takes the Titan Arum 10 years to flower from seed. It can open up to 2.5-metres, but it only blooms every three to five years. The flower is native in the rainforests of Sumatra. When it blooms, it only last for about 48 hours before it begins to die.

Titan Arum is more popularly known as Corpse Flower. Garden curator Matt Coulter warned the public last month that the flower emits a stench which has been compared to the smell of dead bodies.

The combination of Dimethyl trisulfide, isovaleric acid, dimethyl disulfide, benzyl alcohol, indole and trimethylamine is credited for the flower’s rare smell. Experts say the flower's pungent scent is vital for pollination.

Some attendees of the night viewing at the Bicentennial Conservatory took to Twitter to share their experiences. A Twitter user named Lauren Waldhuter posted a photo featuring a crowd that lined up for the flower. She wrote, “Corpse flower's smelly state attracting an eager evening crowd.

Lucy Sutherland, on the hand, tweeted that the smell of Titan Arum is comparable to “smelly socks."

The Bicentennial Conservatory opens at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday and will close at 6:30 p.m.

The Botanic Gardens also has 100 three-year-old corpse flowers under its care. The blooms are expected to open after 10 years.