

Staff at Botanic Gardens of Sydney are eagerly waiting to find out if their late-night attempt to hand-pollinate Putricia the ‘Corpse Flower’ was successful.
More than 27,000 people queued to see the rare and endangered plant, also known as Bunga Bangkai (Indonesian), Amorphophallus titanum or Titan Arum as it began to bloom at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney last week.
A livestream capturing the rare botanical phenomenon drew in more than 1.7 million views from all over the planet, helping to inspire connections to the natural world and raise awareness about the role of Botanic Gardens in contributing to global biodiversity conservation.
‘Corpse Flowers’ are the biggest and smelliest unbranched inflorescence in the world, only blooming once every few years for just 24-48 hours – before Putricia, the last time one bloomed at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney was in 2010.
Found only in the rainforests of western Sumatra, the unique plant is renowned for its sheer size and the smell of putrid, rotting flesh that surrounds the flowers when it blooms.
People who attended the public viewing in Sydney described the stench as rotting cheese, sewage and fresh roadkill.
The flower’s disgusting smell and reddish-purple structure is designed to lure pollinators that feed on flesh, such as flies and beetles.
But with no natural pollinators present or another Corpse Flower blooming nearby, Putricia had a helping hand.
During the first night of her short bloom, the busy glasshouse became an operating theatre as Alyse Baume, Conservation Horticulturist in the Garden’s Nursery, delicately sliced a square into Putricia’s spathe and used a paintbrush covered in donated pollen to hand-fertilise her in the hopes of producing fertile seed.
On the second night of her bloom, John Siemon, Director of Horticulture & Living Collections, was in a race against time to harvest the matured pollen and ensure its safe delivery to the Australian PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.
Scientists are now working to artificially germinate Putricia’s pollen to test its viability and maximise its storage life, as horticulturists nurture her back to health and look for signs their pollination attempt was successful.
“Puticia is looking very sad and droopy now but her reproductive area looks healthy which is a good sign,” Mr Siemon explained.
“The pollen has stuck well to the sticky female stigmas. Now, Putricia’s ovaries will swell, hopefully, and begin to develop into a cone of bright red berries that yield seeds.
“It will take around 2-3 months until her berries are likely to mature and ready to be harvested.”
Following the reproductive process, Putricia will fully collapse then she will begin storing energy while sprouting a new tree-sized leaf every 1 to 1.5 years until she has stored enough energy to produce another inflorescence. This may take another five to 10 years.
During rare blooming event, opening hours at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney were extended to midnight to make sure as many people could see – or smell – Putricia.
Now that the plant has finished blooming and the curtains have closed on the public viewing and live stream, the Garden has returned to its usual opening hours of 7am to 8pm.
It marked the fifth time a ‘Corpse Flower’ has bloomed at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, with various plants in our collection previously flowering in 2010, 2008, 2004 and twice in 2006.
As Titan Arum is endangered in Sumatra due to habitat loss, this rare bloom highlighted critical conservation efforts by Botanic Gardens of Sydney to protect rare and threatened species.
Mr Siemon described Putricia’s bloom as a highlight of his career.
“Putricia has helped inspire curiosity of plants and engagement in plant conservation like no other project. I’m so thankful for all the incredible work that went into sharing her story with the world.”
IMAGES/VISION VIA DROPBOX HERE
About us:
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney | Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan | Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah | The Domain Sydney
Botanic Gardens of Sydney encompasses three world-leading botanic gardens, Australia’s premier botanical research institute, and Sydney’s leading outdoor activation precinct. The organisation is founded on a passion for botanical science and horticulture and enriched by its relationship with Traditional Custodians. Botanic Gardens envisages a fair and sustainable world where people, communities and institutions are informed, inspired and motivated to recognise the power of plants and support their conservation.
Contact details:
02 9231 8122
media@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au