Rare ‘penis plant’ blooms in Leiden, emits rotten meat odor to attract flies
The Hortus Botanicus in Leiden is currently showcasing a rare botanical event: the blooming of an Amorphophallus, commonly known as the penis plant, Omroep West reports. This occurrence is notable because the plant flowers only once every five to ten years.
The plant features a large, purplish spathe with an oversized central spadix. The Leiden botanical garden houses several specimens of Amorphophallus.
Rogier van Vugt, head of the garden’s greenhouse, explained the plant’s unique flowering: “It smells like rotting meat to attract flies,” van Vugt told Omroep West. The odor is essential for pollination, as flies are drawn to the scent.
A dedicated volunteer named Rutmer, appointed “penisplantologist” by Van Vugt, specializes in caring for the penis plants. Rutmer creates a special fertilizer mix that promotes the plants’ health and flowering.
Van Vugt described the plant’s variations: “We have different types. One has a gigantic club in the center, while another is longer and thinner. Sometimes there is a smaller one — like the one currently blooming.” He also noted the unpredictability of flowering, “Sometimes a tuber weighing five kilograms will bloom, and sometimes a tuber of seventy kilograms won’t.”
The tuber plays a crucial role. For years, only a single leaf emerges, which is not an ordinary leaf. Van Vugt said, “It’s almost like a tree and looks as if it has lichen on it.” The leaf captures sunlight and stores energy in the tuber. When enough energy accumulates, the plant can bloom.
Due to the plant’s rarity and public interest, the Hortus has installed a webcam. Van Vugt shared that the garden often receives numerous inquiries about the plant’s flowering status.
“On Sunday evening, the webcam showed the penis plant opening.” Visitors formed a crowd around the plant, sometimes nearly pressing their phones into the bloom to take pictures.
The bloom is short-lived. According to Van Vugt, “Monday is when it is at its peak beauty. After that, it begins to close again.”
For those unable to visit or deterred by the smell, the blooming plant can be viewed live via the Hortus’s webcam.
