GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For some visitors to Frederik Meijer Gardens on Tuesday, the hours-long wait to see the rare Amorphophallus titanium, or corpse flower, in full bloom with its distinctive stinky smell was well worth the wait.
Since early Tuesday morning, thousands of people lined up at the gardens. Willing to wait for a chance to see and smell the corpse flower, a native plant from the rain forests of Indonesia.
Visitors Ozan Baris and Josh Portnoy traveled from East Lansing to the Grand Rapids area for a tennis game and heard about the popular flower while in town. Once they arrived and saw the hundreds of people in line, they applauded others for their patience but doubted they’d stand in the long lines.
“I appreciate their commitment for waiting but I think my priorities lie elsewhere that's all,” Ozan Baris said. It is a cool flower, I heard it smells like a dead body, I don't really want to smell that though, but we'll see.”
The two decided to stick it out however, and eventually got the opportunity to see the flower.
"It's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us, it’ll probably be another ten years before anyone sees it again and my son hasn't even been alive for 10 years so we had to see it,” another visitor, Ryan Holley-Mallo said.
The giant flower was loaned to the botanical gardens by Grand Valley State University and has been attracting many people since the garden received it. Once it was announced that the flower had bloomed and the smell was on display, thousands of people made their way to Frederik Meijer Gardens. GVSU biology professor Timothy Evans isn't surprised many people wanted to see it.
“Sometimes in the world of botany we have to really work to generate interest and with something like this it just does it all by itself, which I think is fabulous,” Timothy Evans said. "They're seeing a plant that most people never get an opportunity to even see, let alone see it produce this huge inflorescence.”
Despite the smell, extremely hot and humid weather, and the long wait in the lines, many are just thankful they got a chance to see the nearly 6-foot flower. Some hit the road near and far for the opportunity.
“We drove over an hour to get a chance to see the flower and we've been waiting for a while,” Tammy Fuller said. "My daughter has been excited to see it because it's a once in a lifetime thing to get to do.”
With general admission or an active membership with the botanical garden, anyone is able to visit to see the flower. For more information, you can visit their website.
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