Tag: carrion flower

The Smelly Chemistry of the Titan Arum Corpse Flower

The Smelly Chemistry of the Titan Arum ‘Corpse Flower’

The Smelly Chemistry of the Titan Arum Corpse Flower
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Usually, you’d want to stay as far away as possible from a smell described variously as like ‘dead rat’, ‘mouldy bath mat’, or ‘cabbages and death’. However, the residents of Cambridge, UK, have been flocking to the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens over the past two days to sample this unpleasant sounding aroma for themselves. The explanation lies in the source of the smell: the rare occurrence of a Titan Arum plant flowering.

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