The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum aka titan arum) is a botanical rock star.
It derives its name from Ancient Greek (ἄμορφος amorphos, "without form, misshapen" + φαλλός phallos, "phallus", and Τιτάν Titan, "titan, giant"). The common name "corpse flower" is translated from the Indonesian name bunga bangkai with the same meaning.
Native to the rainforests of Sumatra, this giant plant rarely flowers, but when it does, it stages a spectacle that is equal parts grotesque and glorious. Its single bloom can soar over three metres in height [Ed: That’s some phallus.] unfurling into a towering structure that looks as prehistoric as it smells. That smell – a combination of rotting flesh, hot garbage and smelly feet – is its evolutionary trick, luring carrion beetles and flesh flies to pollinate it. For humans, the same scent is both repellent and irresistible [RR].
The corpse flower was first brought to flower in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1889. Since then it has flowered at many botanic gardens. Flowerings can attract crowds of thousands of visitors, and in the 21st century also thousands on Internet live streaming.
Why are people so fascinated by it? Theories abound. Part of it is simple scarcity. A corpse flower bloom is an event, often separated by years or even decades. The rarity builds anticipation, and when the plant finally decides to put on a show, it becomes a kind of botanical celebrity. Visitors queue for hours, enduring the nauseating stench just to say they were there. Like an eclipse, the bloom is both fleeting and communal – the bloom only lasts for 24 hours – a reminder of how nature can still stop us in our tracks.
Another explanation is that the corpse flower appeals to our taste for the exotic and the extreme. Its size, its odour, its long gestation – everything about it feels like an exaggeration. In a culture saturated with spectacle, this plant has the audacity to be both natural and outrageous.
Culturally, the corpse flower is reliably newsworthy. Major blooms at botanical gardens – New York, Sydney, Melbourne, London and elsewhere – regularly make headlines, drawing record crowds and live-stream audiences in the millions. Social media has only amplified the phenomenon.
The plant’s strange charisma has also seeped into popular culture. It has featured in TV shows, video games, and even children’s cartoons, usually cast as something menacing and faintly comic. Its very name – corpse flower – has a somewhat gothic allure. T-shirts, mugs and plush toys bear its likeness, turning a plant that smells of death into surprisingly cheerful merch.
The fascination may also hint at something deeper: a reminder of our mortality. The bloom’s stench mimics decay, forcing us to confront the reality of death, but in a safe, public, almost festive setting. It allows us to laugh at our discomfort, to share our disgust with strangers.
The corpse flower endures as a cultural oddity because it performs on multiple levels: biological, theatrical and symbolic. Grotesque yet beloved.
See also: World’s Smelliest Smell [RR2:87], Durian [RR2:23] and Farting
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_arum
kew.org/read-and-watch/botanical-art-collections
Images
1. Corpse flower, Amorphophallus titanum by Matilda Smith. Plate from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 1891. Smith drew this plant during its first blooming at Kew Gardens in 1889. Also, a bloom in Geelong.
2. Titan arum distribution in Sumatra
3. Corpse flower by Matilda Smith. Plate from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 1891.
4. Titan arum life-cycle
5. New York Botanical Garden corpse flower in bloom 27 June 2018. Credit: Sailing moose
6. Fruits of the Titan Arum in botanical Garden in Liberec, Czech Republic, 2018
7. Male (above, yellow) and female (below, brownish-purple) flowers at the base of the spadix. Photo credit: W. Barthlott
8. Video: "Timelapse: Putricia the Corpse Flower in bloom", Botanic Gardens of Sydney, 2025
9. Video: Sydney's corpse flower Putricia is in bloom | ABC 7.30 Report, 2025
10. Corpse flower T-shirt. Credit: woozyboozy on Etsy
