14 DAY TRIAL // Ordinary folks would do best to stay away from the US Botanic Garden Conservatory in Washington, DC during the next two days, provided that they don't want to be hit in the face by a poignant stench of rotting flesh.
A so-called corpse flower housed at this facility is getting ready to bloom. Staff says that it is a matter of hours until it opens up. Sadly, its bloom will only last for about one or two days.
“The odor is often compared to the stench of rotting flesh. The inflorescence also generates heat, which allows the stench to travel further.
“This combination of heat and smell efficiently attracts pollinators, such as dung and carrion beetles, from across long distances,” the US Botanic Garden writes on its official website, as cited by Tree Hugger.
The flower, whose scientific name is titan arum, has been looked after by gardeners in Washington DC since 2005.
Elliott Norman, one of the people in charge of looking after it, says that the plant is “the Botanic Garden's panda.”