A flowering plant that smells like gym socks and rotting garbage has thousands lining up for a whiff

SYDNEY (AP) – The rare display of an endangered plant that emits the smell of rotting flesh drew hundreds of devoted fans to a greenhouse in Sydney on Thursday, where they joined three-hour lines to experience a momentous bloom — and a scent that evokes gym socks and rotting garbage.

Tall, pointed and smelly, it corpse flower is scientifically known as amorphophallus titanum – or bunga bangkai in Indonesia, where the plants are found in the Sumatran rainforest.

But to fans of this specimen, she is Putricia – a portmanteau of “rotten” and “Patricia” eagerly adopted by her followers, who of course call themselves Putricians. For a week she has graced a stately and gothic display in front of a purple curtain and enveloped in mist from a humidifier at the Royal Sydney Botanic Garden.

Her rise to fame has been swift, with up to 20,000 admirers stopping by for a moment in her increasingly stark presence. No corpse flower has bloomed in the garden for 15 years.

A slow bloomer

There are believed to be only 300 of the plants in the wild and fewer than 1,000 including those in cultivation. The corpse flower only blooms every 7-10 years. years in its natural habitat.

“The fact that they open very rarely, so they rarely flower, is obviously something that puts them at a bit of a disadvantage in the wild,” said garden spokesperson Sophie Daniel, who designed Putricia’s crazy and funerary display. “When they open, they have to hope another flower is open nearby, because they can’t self-pollinate.”

After seven years in the garden, Putricia’s flower was seen in December, when she was only 25 centimeters tall. On Thursday, she was 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches) tall.

During the day, her flower spikes slowly opened like a pleated skirt around a majestic central tuber, the yellow-green exterior curling to reveal a burgundy center.

Putricia mania builds

As excitement grew in Sydney around the unfolding bloom, garden staff erected audience barriers that gave the Victorian greenhouse the air of a rock concert. Fans walked a red carpet to see Putricia from behind a velvet rope in a display inspired by Queen Victoria’s funeral, the Rocky Horror Picture Show and the oeuvre of the late director David Lynch.

Inside, fans took selfies and leaned in for sniffs — a more perilous prospect as Putricia’s smell developed. People inhaled the “slaughterhouse” stench and canceled their dinner plans, Sydney Morning Herald science reporter Angus Dalton said.

“I’m sick,” he added. “I’m in awe.”

A young woman raised her hands and bowed as if in worship. On social media, garden staff performed a viral dance in front of the plant to Chappell Roan’s summer hit HOT TO GO!

It was hard to say why the regal, mysterious and fetid flower had attracted such a following – but perhaps the answer lay in the “awe” viewers felt in the presence of “such an amazing living creature,” Daniel said.

A rapid rise to online fame

Along with her real-life visitors, Putricia’s online fandom has been fast-paced, global, and profoundly strange—albeit less smelly. A 24/7 live stream set up by the botanical garden garnered close to a million views in less than a week, evoking a common language of memes and inside jokes.

Commonly used acronyms included WWTF, or we see the flower, WDNRP — we’re in no rush for Putricia — and BBTB, or blessed be the bloom. “Putricia is a metaphor for my life,” wrote one poster, who did not elaborate.

Commenters on social media planned to rush to the garden when the facility opened. In just 24 hours, Putricia’s flower – and her stench – would be gone.

As she unfolded, the plant was heated to 37 degrees Celsius (100 F) to better spread her scent, attracting flies and carrion, which burrowed inside and laid eggs. Work then began on hand-pollinating the plant in an attempt to ensure the diversity and survival of the species.

But first, thousands of Putricians tried to get as close as possible to their hero for a week.

“We had a few conversations early on about whether or not we should have vomit bags in the room,” Daniel said, adding that the garden staff ultimately decided on that. “I haven’t heard of anyone actually getting hurt.”

___

Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.