In case you’ve been away from the news or Instagram, Adelaide has been graced by nothing short of a stinky miracle. For the second time in just over month, we’re privy to the bloom of a Titan Arum, or Amorphophallus titanium, or that giant corn emoji that smells like death. You know, the Corpse Flower.
Usually blooming once every four to five years, thanks to a decade of hard work by Botanic Gardens staff nurturing and cultivating the whiffy pod Adelaide is now being treated to a second flowering just after the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens drew huge crowds witness its flower let rip over Christmas. It looked a little like this:
Which means that if you missed the ridiculous queues of the first, you’ve got another chance – with less travelling time. After apparently 7,000 people headed down to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens last night to catch the Corpse Flower at its most potent, there’s still time to whip down to get a glimpse – and a noseful.
Last entry to the Conservatory tonight is 6pm SHARP so we can close by 6:30pm #stinkyBGSA #TitanArum #CorpseFlower pic.twitter.com/yxqnGsEgD8
— Botanic Gardens SA (@BotGardensSA) February 2, 2016
While rainful has lightened out the crowd a little bit, here are some Deep Facts of Life to think over lest you get caught in a queue waiting for your audience with Its Corpsiness.
1. People who say nothing ever happens in Adelaide have never stood in line to smell a smelly thing
Sydney can have its Opera House, Melbourne can keep its tram network and balls of yarn, but we’ve got a whole bunch of pensioners in a greenhouse.
2. Is it weird that everyone seems to be basically across what a rotting corpse smells like?
“It smells like a corpse,” one onlooker told the ABC, quickly adding, “or what I imagine a corpse would smell like”. Suuuure.
*backs away*
3. Staff have been cultivating these plants for TEN. YEARS.
When this project started Cheez TV had only just left the air, ‘Kevin 07’ t-shirts were being printed with wild, reckless optimism and Kanye West had yet to discover Twitter. Okay, it hadn’t been invented yet.
Solid work, team.
4. Similarly, measuring your life achievements by “Corpse Flower Bloom Cycles” will make you seem much more together to your parents.
“I know I’m 3 years into my Media/Arts degree but I think I might drop out and do Health Sciences instead” sounds way better as “I reckon I’ll keep studying for another Corpse Flower”.
At least I would have if I hadn’t spent the whole night lining up to see a corpse flower… via GIPHY
5. Shockingly, this was never the premise of an episode of Round The Twist?
Missed opportunity, Paul Jennings, missed opportunity.
6. Would Burger Theory’s popularity increase even more if they embraced Union Street’s aroma in their marketing?
Just as the Corpse Flower relies on the pollinating critters attracted by its scent, there must be some way to reframe that distinctive musk to attract food bloggers.
7. If the smell has been diminished by the inhalation of hundreds of onlookers ahead of you in the line, don’t worry about it
It’s kind of sweet to think a big chunk of Adelaide are carrying their own little bit of dead possum smell in their lungs. Sweet or disgusting, we’re going with sweet.
Farewell sweet nauseating Prince
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