Bunga Bangkai, Corpse Plant, Titan Arum

Smelly ‘Corpse Plant’ Drawing Crowds

WASHINGTON – Its scent has drawn comparisons to garbage and spoiled meat, but that isn’t stopping crowds from flocking to see and smell � an unusual plant in bloom at

The titan arum plant, nicknamed “corpse plant” for its rank smell, is attracting thousands of visitors during the day or two it remains in bloom.

“It’s quite spectacular: the color and the form and the strong odor,” said John Kress, chairman of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s botany department, which owns the plant. “I think that’s what most people come to see. Or smell.”

The long, conical bloom of the titan arum is believed to be the largest flower that doesn’t grow on a tree. It has been known to grow 12 feet high in its native habitat on the island of Sumatra.

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