The world’s largest and smelliest flower, the Titan Arum, is once again in full bloom at the Meise Botanic Garden just outside Brussels, drawing crowds eager to witness — and smell — the rare botanical event.
Known scientifically as Amorphophallus titanum, the Titan Arum is famed for its staggering size and its overpowering scent of rotting flesh, an evolutionary tactic designed to attract pollinating insects.
The flowering of the plant is a much-anticipated spectacle, as it is both rare and fleeting. The Botanic Garden confirmed in a press release that the bloom typically lasts no more than 72 hours.
Since the first Titan Arum bloom at Meise in 2008, which attracted over 8,000 visitors in a few short days, each flowering has become a major draw for plant enthusiasts, scientists, and the simply curious. This marks the 21st time a Titan Arum has bloomed at the garden.
To accommodate the expected influx of visitors, Meise Botanic Garden announced extended opening hours on Monday, offering more people a chance to experience what it describes as a “rare fragrance and colour spectacle.”
Native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, the Titan Arum typically blooms between October and March during the rainy season.
In its natural environment, the flower can grow an inflorescence exceeding three metres in height, making it the largest unbranched flower structure in the world.
The plant’s powerful odour, often likened to the smell of decaying flesh, serves a crucial purpose: attracting carrion beetles and flesh flies, which help pollinate the flower. The bloom’s dramatic appearance and unforgettable scent have helped cement its reputation as a global botanical marvel.
However, the future of the Titan Arum in the wild is under serious threat. According to the Meise Botanic Garden, vast areas of the flower’s native habitat have been destroyed, largely due to timber harvesting and the expansion of palm oil plantations.
By 2023, approximately 3.7 million hectares of tropical rainforest had been lost in Sumatra, severely endangering species like the Titan Arum.
For the Botanic Garden, the flowering event is about more than just drawing in crowds. It serves as an opportunity to highlight the urgent conservation challenges facing not only the Titan Arum but also countless other species reliant on fragile rainforest ecosystems.
The garden’s scientists emphasize the difficulty of successfully cultivating and flowering a Titan Arum outside its native habitat. The process is painstaking and delicate, making each bloom a rare accomplishment in botanical horticulture.
Photos shared by the Botanic Garden and Belgian news agency Belga show the giant, deep-purple flower standing majestically, with its tall, yellow central spike towering over admiring visitors.
As the flower blooms for its brief window, visitors are encouraged to come and witness — and smell — this extraordinary natural phenomenon, while also reflecting on the urgent need to protect the world’s remaining tropical rainforests.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
