The Mitchell Park Domes had to close admission for thirty minutes on Friday to accommodate hundreds of people waiting to see the Corpse Flower.
Amorphophallus Titanum, more commonly known as the Corpse Flower, blooms once every few years. When it is bloomed, the scent it gives off has been likened to rotting meat. The smell is necessary for the flower because it pollinates through insects that typically eats decaying animals, very common to its native space of Indonesia.
People gave numerous reasons for why they wanted to get a whiff.
“Because why not?”, said one bystander
“Check it off my bucket list.”
“Its been two years since its happened, so lets give it a try this time.”
The inside of the Tropical Dome was crowded with everyone who wanted to get close to the flower. Some held their noses or wore masks. But as they got closer to the Corpse Flower, they realized there was not much smell to it at all. A few patrons even got close to the flower and wafted the smell closer to their noses.
“I guess I was expecting it to smell a little more…grotesque.”
“I expected it to smell a little more than it did.”
“I thought it would be really gross but its not gross at all.”
Suffice to say, people who came to the Mitchell Park Domes to see and smell the Corpse Flower did not get what they expected. Mary Braunreiter is the horticulturalist for the Tropical Dome, she said the flower may have been a little nervous.
“It was fully open but it is being a little shy right now. It may reopen again. The interesting thing is that ours is a deep maroon color. Ive seen others that are green in the center, and they are not quite as pretty I think,” said Braunreiter.
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