HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
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DECEMBER 2015
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ILLUSTRATIONSBYMARCROSENTHAL
21
DISPATCHES
NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
I
t’swellbeforedawnat theDenverBotanicGardens,and
already there are hundreds of people lined up outside,
here toexperience the firstbloomofa15-year-oldplant.
It’snot somuch the rarityof the event that has brought
somanypeopleoutas thearoma,which is said tobe so foul
that theorganizershave laidoutcommemorativebarfbags.
Standingmore than 5 feet tall, with a green-maroon
funnel andayellow fleshyspike,thecorpse flower looks like
something fromanotherworld.Thebloom ispollinatedby
carrionbeetles,which it attractsbyemittinga stench that’s
similartorotting flesh.Today,it’ssummoningaround12,000
Denverites looking to snapwrinkle-nosed selfiesalongside
it.Themoderately curiousdrift away from the three-hour
line, leaving only the truly committed.Oneman, having
finally reached the front, leans in, turns to his companion
and says,“Where’s the smell?”
Even at its peak, the flower’s scent is well short of
horrific—onemandescribes itas “morecheese thandeath.”
Staffers soon realize they need to concentrate the odor,
so they open a separate “whiff room”along the vent of a
greenhouse exhaust fan.Here, away from the velvet rope,
therehangs ahastilymade sign: “SniffHere.”
Visitors file through thehallway,gingerlypushing their
noses at a wall of industrial metal slats. Impressions of
the aroma range from “garbage”to “rotting fruit”to “dirty
diapers.”“Iwasexpectingabitmoredead-bodysmell,”says
a sullenpreteenboy.
He is one of the lucky ones.The followingday,a further
10,000people lineuptosniffthecorpseflower,butbythen its
perfume isallbutgone.Asclosingtimeapproaches,asecurity
guardnodsat twodepartingwomen.“I’m sorryyoucouldn’t
smell anythingdisgusting,”he says.
—KARENSCHWARTZ
denver
ThePutridSmellofSuccess
At anunveilingof thenotorious corpseflower, enthusiasts expect tobedisgusted
