- A rare Titan Arum, Indonesia’s iconic corpse flower, bloomed in Australia’s Adelaide Botanic Garden, attracting thousands of visitors despite extreme weather.
- The Adelaide Botanic Garden’s Titan Arum, nicknamed “Smellanie,” bloomed for the second time since 2021, captivating visitors with its size and odor.
- Native to Sumatra and listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, the Titan Arum’s rare bloom in Adelaide underscores its global conservation importance.
The world’s largest and rarest flowering plant, the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), an Indonesian endemic species, has bloomed spectacularly at the Adelaide Botanic Garden in Australia since Friday (Jan. 23, 2026). The rare event has drawn massive public attention across the country.
Thousands of visitors reportedly lined up for hours to witness the rare bloom and experience the flower’s infamous odor during its short full-bloom phase. The spectacle has become a highlight because the Titan Arum, native to Sumatra, is among the largest and least frequently blooming flowers on Earth.
Thousands Queue to Witness the Bloom
Public enthusiasm was visible from the very first day. Adelaide Botanic Garden officials reported long queues of visitors since the gates opened at 7:30 a.m. Many came from cities across Australia.
One of them, Ethan from Melbourne, said he waited for two and a half hours on Saturday (Jan. 24) to see the blooming flower. “It was worth it, even in the scorching Adelaide heat,” he said. Over the weekend, temperatures reached extreme highs, climbing toward 45 degrees Celsius with strong winds and dry air.
According to Ethan, the odor resembled that of a decaying animal but was “not as bad” as he expected. Despite the pungent smell, visitors remained fascinated. Australia’s news outlet News.com.au reported that thousands continued to come, fully aware of the flower’s notorious scent.
Nicknamed “Smellanie”
The Adelaide Botanic Garden has nurtured the Titan Arum for around 20 years. The plant has even earned the affectionate nickname “Smellanie” among staff and visitors, inspired by its strong smell.
Matt Coulter, curator at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia (BGSH), said the institution received three Titan Arum seeds in 2006. From those seeds, they successfully cultivated about 250 plants — 100 through leaf cutting propagation and another 150 through pollination.
The currently blooming plant is from the original seed batch and marks its second flowering after previously blooming in 2021. Due to the plant’s sensitivity and long blooming cycles, the garden provides intensive care to maintain its health.
Native to Indonesia
The Titan Arum, native to Sumatra, Indonesia, is known for its towering inflorescence that can reach up to 3 meters when in full bloom. Despite its size, the bloom lasts only a few days. Its rarity is due to a lengthy life cycle and shrinking natural habitat.
Experts estimate that only around 1,000 individual Titan Arums remain in the wild. The rest are preserved in global botanical gardens and conservation centers. Because of that, each bloom attracts both public curiosity and scientific interest.
A Protected Flora Species
The Titan Arum was first scientifically described in 1878 by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari. The species grows naturally across the northern to southern regions of Sumatra at elevations between 28 and 720 meters above sea level. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists it as Vulnerable.
In Indonesia — especially in Bengkulu — the Titan Arum faces serious threats. A 2008 study by Syamsul Hidayat and Yuzammi in the Buletin Kebun Raya Indonesia noted that some residents intentionally cut down or destroyed the plants. Locals often consider them useless, unpleasant-smelling, or associated with harmful myths.
Visiting the Adelaide Bloom
The Adelaide Botanic Garden, located northeast of Adelaide’s city center, spans about 48.5 hectares and serves as a hub for conservation, education, and scientific research. Entry to the garden is free, while parking fees average around AUD 4.
To view the Titan Arum bloom, the Bicentennial Conservatory opened to the public free of charge during special hours — Friday from 7 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to noon and again from 7 p.m. to midnight.
On Sunday (Jan. 25), visitors could still view the flower from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., although experts predicted it would start wilting by then. The limited visiting hours were arranged to protect visitors from the region’s extreme heat conditions.
Indonesianpost.com | GNFI