Disgusting ‘corpse flower’ is in full boom in Denver — and it stinks

When you walk into a certain greenhouse at Denver Botanic Gardens, be prepared to catch possibly the worst smell in the world: the aptly named “corpse flower” form Indonesia is in full bloom for the first time since it was donated back in 2007.

It takes about 10 to 15 years for the first bloom of the corpse flower, or titan aram, and at 13 years old the plant is right on time, according to a Christian Science Monitor report.

The titan arum is called the corpse flower because of its extraordinarily bad scent which resembles, you guess it, a corpse. But this scent is very useful to the plant, as it attracts flies and beetles, which the plant relies on for pollination.

The corpse flower is found in Sumatra in Indonesia, and back in 2007 it was donated, where it was placed in the back of a greenhouse. Thousands of people lined up and waited for hours in order to catch a whiff of the awful smell. It’s the first time such a plant has ever bloomed in the Denver area.

The corpse flower is part of a class of carrion flowers that mimic the odor of rotting flesh in order to attract insects that will pollinate it.

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