One of the biggest – and smelliest – flowers in the world may be about to bloom any day soon at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
The odorous Titan Arum is better known to people by its nickname “Corpse Flower”, and has produced a large bud that has reportedly been growing by several centimetres a day. With staff and experts waiting in anticipation, it wasn’t known until Friday morning whether this new bud would produce a leaf or flower, but thanks to the bud unfurling, it has now revealed the first stages of its blossoming.
The reveal now confirms Scotland’s first ever “Corpse Flower” following a similar growth spurt in 2011, which instead produced a new leaf.
However, once the flower has bloomed, visiting the glasshouse could prove to be difficult thanks to its pungent smell. Sadie Barber, senior horticulturist at the garden, said: “When it opens it does only bloom for maybe one or two days, and it emits this very strong smell which will attract beetles or insects to pollinate it.’
Other staff members at the garden believe the full bloom will be “incredible”, but could take at least a week.
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