A rare flower attracted a lot of attention at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton yesterday, but it wasn't because it's the world's tallest flower, or that it's likely the only one that has bloomed in Western Canada... it's because of how the flower smells — not a sweet fragrance, but a foul putrescence that reminds people of the smell a rotting carcass gives off.

Putrella, as the staff at the conservatory have named 'her', one of a species of plant called Amorphophallus titanum or 'titan arum', but it's known by a more memorable name — the corpse flower.

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This plant grows wild in the jungles of the island of Sumatra, in western Indonesia. It truly is the world's largest flower, growing to over 3 metres in height in some cases, and for one day of the year it produces a foul stench similar to that of rotting meat. This odour is repellent to us, but it's like sweet-smelling roses to the beetles and flies that are important for the plant's ability to survive. As these insects fly back and forth between the carrion-smelling flowers, they carry pollen from plant to plant, helping the corpse flower to reproduce.

Another remarkable thing about Putrella... according to the staff at the conservatory, it took only about six weeks for the plant to grow from a couple of centimetres long to a height of 2.4 metres as of Monday.

"It's very exciting," says James McIvor, the Muttart head grower, according to The Edmonton Journal. "In under 40 days, Putrella has grown from a bud, less than an inch tall, to this incredible display."

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The bloom (and thus the smell) of the titan arum only lasts for a few days, at best, so if you're in the Edmonton area, go check it out. The Muttart is apparently even keeping extended hours to give people the best chance at seeing and smelling this rare flower.

(Photo courtesy: Muttart Conservatory)

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