Botanics will open late for ‘smelliest flower’
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh will open at night to allow people to get a whiff of the world’s smelliest flower at its most pungent.
The giant Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum) is known as the “corpse flower” because of the reek of rotting flesh it emits in full bloom.
The exotic plant is due to burst into flower within days for only the second time in Scotland.
The smell is strongest when it first opens, which happens at night, and the odour subsides quickly. Officials have announced plans to open the tropical glasshouse at night specially to let people experience the peak of the pong.
Sadie Barber, RBGE senior horticulturist, said: “One of the things we learnt last time was the famous smell, which gives the plant the name ‘corpse flower’, only lasts a few hours when the flower first opens.
“As this happens at night we will be opening as late as possible on the night concerned to give our visitors the best chance of being part of the full stinky experience.”