Nothing Like the Smell of ‘Mr. Stinky’ in Bloom

A flower famous for its rotten-meat stench is close to blooming again, the first time one of the rare plants will have bloomed twice in the U.S., its keepers say.

The 6-foot-6-inch flower, known at Fairchild Tropical Garden as “Mr. Stinky” because of its unpleasant scent when in bloom, is expected to bloom by Thursday.

Although notable for its size, the Titan arum achieves notoriety because of its strong stench. In its native Sumatra, the smell is described as being that of a rotting elephant.

The smell attracts carrion beetles that pollinate the flower.

Mr. Stinky first bloomed in 1998.