A stinky, nightmarish corpse flower has bloomed at the New York Botanical Garden and, if you are so inclined, you can grab a cocktail and a selfie at a special happy hour to celebrate.
The garden’s corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) opened up inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory on Tuesday night and only has 24 to 36 hours until it closes up, according to NYBG.
The 6- to 8-foot flower, which is native to Sumatra in Indonesia, releases a bizarre bouquet that’s similar to the smell of rotting meat when it’s at peak bloom. The scent actually attracts pollinators that feed on dead animals, so there’s that.
It has an unpredictable blooming cycle — it takes about seven to 10 years for it to store enough energy to begin its bloom cycle. This one in particular has been at the Garden for years, the NYBG says.
The last time one of these bloomed was on July 28, 2016, which brought out thousands of people.
The very first specimen in the western hemisphere opened at NYBG on June 8, 1937.
When horticulturists noticed that the flower was starting to bud, they moved it on June 21 from its Nolen Greenhouses to the conservatory in preparation for the big reveal.
So if you can handle the aroma, head on over to the garden’s happy hour at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The conservatory will be open to the public until 10 p.m.
If you can’t make it, you can view it live on nybg.org.
