Hundreds Line Up in San Francisco to See 7-Foot Tall Corpse Flower That Smells ‘Like a Porta Potty’

The corpse flower that blooms in San Francisco attracts crowds who can’t wait to smell the plant’s unique scent!

The California Academy of Sciences named the rare plant the Mirage, and the museum announced that they are excited to host their first corpse flower bloom this week.

“It’s happening! Mirage, our corpse flower, is blooming,” said the ua academy twitter Tuesday. Their post also included a photo of a roughly seven-foot-tall flower.

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Adding that biologist Tim Wong will host a Q&A for those interested that evening, the academy also noted that Mirage can be seen in person in the Osher Rainforest beginning at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

“Come catch a breath!” the post is closed.

Corpse flowers, scientifically known as Amorphophallus titanum, get their name from the strong stench they produce when they bloom — which is only for two to three days once every year or two, according to the United States Botanical Garden.

“It smells like rotten meat and carrion, so you could smell all these different things, people say garlic, sweaty feet, rotten meat,” Wong told ABC News 7 in San Francisco of the unusual plant and its peculiar smell. “I actually kind of thought it smelled a bit like a potty, like a collection of smells.”

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He added that those who want to witness the bloom may want to do so quickly.

Visitors line up to see the corpse flower in bloom.

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

“The opportunity to see one of these in bloom is so short-lived, the bloom lasts about a day so you really only have a short time to see the flower open.”

And the Mirage is unique in many ways.

As of 2021, the USBG estimated that there were fewer than 1,000 individual corpse flowers left in the wild — which makes seeing one of these plants in person an incredible experience.

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The San Diego Botanical Garden describes deadflower blooms as “a rare and special event,” stating that “most plants take seven to ten years to produce their first bloom, and bloom only every four to five years thereafter.”

Wong called the bloom time “very unusual” because the academy is at the end of their typical season.

young corpse flower at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.

Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty

“If you can take time off work, come and see the flower, I would definitely recommend it if you can, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people,” said the biologist.

Their natural habitat includes the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and the blooms can reach heights of up to 8 feet.

Mirage was just a tiny flowering plant when it was presented as a gift to the California Academy of Sciences on behalf of the Conservatory of Flowers.

For those unable to attend the special exhibit in San Francisco or see the corpse flower in its natural habitat, a live stream of the academy exhibit can be viewed here.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education