Rare ‘corpse flower’ blooms in DC

A rare “corpse flower” bloomed for the first time at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington on Tuesday morning.

The flower, which gets its name from the putrid stench it emits, will remain in peak bloom through Wednesday morning, and the garden has extended its hours for the occasion.

Hundreds of people have already traveled to see the flower, and lines at the conservatory, located on the National Mall, wrapped around the block.

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The corpse flower lives in a hot, steam-filled atrium just steps from the Capitol. Once inside, the stench of the flower is overpowering in areas.

“It smells like a trash can filled with dirty diapers and rotten fish,” one woman said. Others described it as the smell of rotting food or hot garbage.

“Stinky!” one girl shouted as she held her nose. 

Others said that after the initial whiff, the smell seemed to wear off. “It reminds me of the smell of the Philippines,” said another woman.

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Corpse flowers originated in the Sumatran rain forest and are some of the largest flowers on the planet.

The Botanic Garden’s flower is only 6 years old, yet already stands 8 feet tall. When the plant first went on display it stood only 3 1/2 feet.

The garden last displayed a corpse flower in 2013. That flower attracted more than 130,000 visitors.

For an inside peek at the corpse flower, follow @thehilldotcom on Snapchat where we’re documenting the bloom and other events around D.C.

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