The stench of rotting flesh will once again draw hordes of curious onlookers to the Dunedin Botanic Garden.
'Corpse flower', Amorphophallus titanum, at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. Photo: RNZ / Maree Mahony
For the second time in the 13 years it has been there, the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) is expected to bloom.
Winter Garden plant collection curator Stephen Bishop said the corpse flower had started to produce a "rare and odorous bloom" but exactly when it would open was difficult to predict.
At this stage it seemed as if it would bloom in mid-January. The flower would last only 24 to 36 hours.
"Amorphophallus titanum has one of the world's largest flowers and is well known for the pungent fragrance it produces after the flower opens," he said.
"The nauseating smell has been compared to rotting flesh. Its smell is nature's way of enticing insects for pollination."
The plant was given to the Dunedin Botanic Garden in 2008.
When it first flowered in January 2018, it drew thousands of visitors.
The Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the corpse flower, in full blossom at the Winter Garden in Auckland Domain. (file pic) Photo: Supplied / Nick Lloyd
For most of its life, the plant regularly produces a single leaf the size of a small tree, up to 6m tall and 4m wide in the wild.
Bishop suspected prior to Christmas that it was going to bloom again, but held off telling people until now to avoid big crowds at the end of the year.
"It was probably Dunedin's worst kept secret.
"There has been a lot of local interest already and some people are regularly visiting to watch its progress."
For those wanting a look before the flower opens, the plant is on display in the Winter Garden Glasshouse. It can be viewed between 10am-4pm daily.
When the flower opens, viewing hours will be extended to 8am-8pm.
This story was first published in the Otago Daily Times