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On a gray, rainy day, a long line wraps around the gated barriers of Como Park Zoo & Conservatory’s Botanical Garden in St. Paul. Hundreds of smiling plant enthusiasts and curious kids wait anxiously to see Frederick, one of the zoo’s rarest and worst-smelling plants.
Frederick, a corpse flower known scientifically as Amorphophallus titanum, has bloomed for the first time since the zoo received the plant as a gift in 2017.
Native to the rainforests of western Sumatra in Indonesia, corpse flowers are infamous for their stench. To attract pollinators, the plant heats its central stalk to nearly 98 degrees Fahrenheit and releases an odor identical to rotting flesh.
Those brave enough to get a whiff of Frederick’s aroma described unforgettable experiences. For some, the smell was tolerable.
“I was expecting a bad smell, but when I got up close and personal, it was a lot worse than I anticipated,” Rocío McKenzie said. “If I had to describe the smell? Hot garbage.”
For others, the stench triggered unexpected nostalgia.
“It reminded me of the summer I worked parks maintenance and had to empty park pavilion trash cans after whole pig barbecues. It was bad,” St. Paul resident Mel McKenzie said. “It’s almost like if you spilled a whole carton of eggs behind a roller rink in the sun.”
Capable of growing over 8 feet tall, corpse flowers usually take between 7 to 10 years for their first bloom. Afterward, blooms occur every 2-3 years. Frederick is now 8 years old. Frederick’s sibling, Horace, bloomed last year at age 7.
In a corpse flower’s blooming state, its thick spike rises like a torch. This central spike is then surrounded by a ruffled, wine-colored skirt.
Beyond its smell, many people came to see Frederick’s beautiful appearance. Catherine Schallenberg, a zoo visitor from Eagan, has Parkinson’s disease, prohibiting her ability to smell the plant.
“The size takes you aback. And the colors — those rich purples and greens in the petals — it’s beautiful,” Schallenberg said. “It’s a thing of beauty. It’s a thing of nature. Whether I can smell it or not doesn’t make any difference.”
While Frederick’s appearance can be captivating, his species is facing a harsh reality behind the show’s curtains. In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed corpse flowers as an endangered species. This is due to deforestation for products like palm oil and lumber in their native habitats.
According to a recent study, 162 individual corpse flowers remain in the wild.
Jen Love, Como Park’s horticulturist, has been taking care of Frederick and his sibling for years. Love said the team works meticulously between blooms to maintain both Horace and Frederick’s health.
“We have a good growing space behind the scenes that gives it exactly the conditions it needs— heat, lighting, humidity — all thanks to the staff from the St. Paul Parks Department who keep that system running,” Love said.
Frederick’s bloom lasts between 24 to 48 hours. Once time is up, Frederick will start to collapse himself and conserve energy until he has enough to bloom again.
Plant geeks wanting to see Frederick in his final hours are encouraged to visit Como Park from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
English (US) ·