A rare corpse flower called Alice the Amorphophallus attracted thousands of visitors at the Chicago Botanic Garden after it began to bloom unexpectedly around 11 p.m. Monday, Reuters reported.
However, visitors who went to the garden to experience the notorious stench of a blooming titan arum were quite disappointed because the intensity of Alice's smell faded as the day progressed. Titan arums typically emit the smell of rotting flesh when in full bloom.
Last month, many people were disappointed with the failed bloom of Spike, Alice's sibling, after following its development for a long time. Garden staff admitted they were relieved that Alice did not let everyone down.
"We can admit to a little relief," Sophia Shaw, outgoing president and CEO of Chicago Botanic Garden, told Chicago Tribune. "It brings resolution to the 75,000 people who came to see Spike."
There are eight titan arums in the Chicago Botanic Garden, including Alice. Titan arums, which are native to the Sumatran rainforest, are hard to find. They rarely bloom even in the wild. When in bloom, they mimic the appearance and smell of decaying meat in order to attract pollinators, which are usually flies and dung beetles.
"Head to the Garden now to see (and smell!) the extremely rare phenomenon of a corpse flower in full bloom," the Chicago Botanic Garden announced on its website. "Selfies with #CBGAlice are encouraged!"
To accommodate Alice's visitors, the garden stayed open until 2 a.m. Wednesday, after which the viewing will resume at 8 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. of the same day.
Titan arums take 10 years to mature enough to bloom, then stay in bloom for 24 to 36 hours, and may take longer than two years to bloom again.
