Rare 'corpse flower' blooms in Australia

A 2m-tall flower, known for its pungent odour which has been likened to rotting flesh, has bloomed in Australia. South Australia's Mount Lofty Botanic Garden has been growing the Amorphophallus Titanium, more commonly called the Corpse Flower, for 10 years. About two weeks ago the plant's famously pungent flower began to grow, before finally opening on Monday. Matt Coulter, a horticulture curator at the garden, said the flower's "rotten fish smell" was overpowering. "When I opened the door this morning it almost knocked me over, it was so strong," he said. Advertisement Mr Coulter, who has been tending the flower for the last eight years, said he was ecstatic that it had flowered for the first time. "It's fantastic. I didn't think it would ever flower," he said. "It comes from [the Indonesian island of] Sumatra, so we've been keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer, and keeping the humidity high.