A rare delight of nature is taking place in the Botanical Gardens in Copenhagen these days and it guarantees not to be a flaccid experience.
The exotic flower Amorphophallus titanum – which means ‘giant deformed penis’ – has once again decided to blossom.
“We are incredibly fortunate,” said Rasmus Kloster, a gardener at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
“We have a magnificent genetic specimen that is taken care of and groomed. Sometimes I give the plant a home-made fertiliser cocktail that really gives it a boost. I wouldn’t be surprised if it blossoms again in two years’ time.”
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Smells like ‘sex panther’
The flower usually only blossoms every 15 years, but the botanists at the Botanical Gardens must have a magical green touch because it’s the third time in just five years that the plant has unfurled its beauty to the world.
The last two times it blossomed, in 2012 and 2014, thousands of people queued up to see the unique-looking flower.
The plant, which is native to the rain forests of Sumatra in Indonesia and was discovered in 1878 by the Italian botanist Dr Odoardo Beccari, is known for its massive blossom and formidable odour – in some areas it’s been named the ‘corpse flower’ because it smells like decaying meat.
The flower can grow 8-10 cm a day and the Botanical Gardens expects it to reach over two metres in size this time.
