It’ll be the first time that the flowering plant, known for its deep burgundy petals and corpse-like smell, will bloom on display since 1939. You might want to plug your nose.
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Planning a trip to the United States Botanic Garden?
So the Garden, which is usually closed on Mondays, will open this Monday from 10 a.m.to 6 p.m.
Despite the stench, horticulturalists and the public are flocking to see it, partly because the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum – a scientific name that translates to “giant misshapen phallus”) blooms only for a few days once every seven to 10 years, representatives from the NYBG said. The next day and night, there’s still some lingering offensiveness but not exactly rotting elephant levels of unpleasantness. Most of us like flowers for, among other things, their fragrance.
A “corpse flower” is seen in bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., in 2013. But there’s no rivalry between the horticulturalists, according to Pell.
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The botanical garden is predicting that the corpse flower may bloom within the next 48 hours, and then release its pungent odor. When the first one blooms, they’re working on getting a sample to send on to the next garden, and so on, in a chain. We’re just hoping that isn’t a metaphor for the country. It only blooms for 24 to 36 hours. Though it normally closes at 5 p.m., USBG will stay open until 8 p.m. while the flower is there and keep its doors open until 11 p.m. during peak bloom.
