Frenzy growing for putrid bloomer
FLORAL enthusiasts are waiting with bated breath and plugged noses for Spud the titan arum to bloom and spread his smell across the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
A Cairns Regional Council spokeswoman said the gargantuan plant, known as the corpse flower for its eye-watering rotten smell, is set to bloom within the next two weeks.
“He’s already 2m tall and growing fast, so we expect he’ll get to 3m,” she said.
“The tuber was a massive 90kg, so this was always going to be a particularly big flower.”
She said curators at the Watkins Munro Martin Conservatory were keeping a keen eye on the gardens’ star attraction.
“We’ll be monitoring Spud’s progress and posting regular updates to council’s social media pages as the bloom becomes more imminent,” she said.
For visitors who want to take a whiff of the plant’s famous smell – which has been described as rotting meat, a garbage can and similar to a dead body – the window of opportunity is slim.
“The odour won’t be released until the flower opens and it will remain open for only a very short period of time – usually between 24 and 48 hours,” the spokeswoman said.
This will be the fourth time Spud has flowered in the seven years at the conservatory in Collins Ave, Edge Hill.