What Exactly Will The Meijer Gardens ‘Corpse Flower’ Smell Like?
Botanists say this week, the corpse flower will bloom at Meijer Garden, releasing its mighty stench into the world.
But what does it REALLY smell like?
The corpse flower is expected to bloom sometime between July 11th and the 14th, and when it does it will release its pungent odor to the world in a quest to be pollinated.
You can monitor the state of the plant on the Gardens' Facebook page.
It's a weird dance nature does with the corpse flower. It is best pollinated by bugs like flies and beetles that are attracted to rotting flesh, so that's why it puts on its little stink show. In addition, it warms up to 98 degrees to fool the bugs into thinking its fresh carrion. The flower then pulses every few minutes to pump more stink into the air, thus intensifying the smell.
Once it blooms, the nasty smell will only last for around a day.
This will bring people flocking to Meijer Garden to smell the stench. Check out this time lapse video how many showed up recently when a Corpse Flower bloomed at the new York Botanical garden.
Strangely, I am oddly drawn in by the odd little flower, which will bloom for the first time since being planted as a seed by the Garden back in 2000. I really can't wait to go smell it.
The say its awful, like rotting meat or a decaying body. But what does the corpse flower REALLY smell like? Here are some descriptions from people who have smelled it. Here are a few of the quotes from people who have smelled it, gathered from around the internet. Now I'm even more excited!
"Cabbage left in the garden too long"
"...an ode to trash truck, maybe garbage juices"
"boiled cabbage meets gym socks."
"It smells like old food. When you open a fridge and get bad food smell"
"It's distinct. Not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. Not as bad as being in a back alley in New York City during the summer"
"The chemical composition of the flower is actually similar to a number of terrible odors all mixed together from rotting fish to limburger cheese"
"It reminds me of a mouse lying (dead) in our garden"
“It smells like an E. coli bacteria culture"
“It smells like Wren’s room when she doesn’t clean it.” Hey, when in doubt, dump on your sister, right?