Kew Gardens’s “corpse flower” is in bloom
It’s only in bloom for a day or two, so if you can get to Kew Gardens sharpish, then one of the world’s smelliest plants is strutting its thing.
Titan arum, also known as the corpse flower, has an incredibly foul smell of rotten flesh when in bloom, which evolved to attract pollinators that love to feed and breed on flesh. It’s also a huge plant, so if the smell isn’t enough of a lure, then the size might be.
Titan arum only grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, but there are a few in London — in Kew Gardens. They’ve just announced that one of them is now in bloom and will be in flower for just a couple of days at most.
So you have just a couple of days — likely just Tuesday and Wednesday — to see and, most importantly, smell this one while it’s in bloom.
Tickets to Kew Gardens are cheaper if booked online in advance, but you can buy them at the gate if necessary.
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