Two rare, and very smelly plants are in flower at Kew Gardens from today, with Aristolochia goldieana and the Titan arum both blooming.

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Each plant takes several years to produce flowers and is very rare. Both have distinct smells. The Titan arum, or (Amorphophallus titanium) is nicknamed the corpse flower, as its odour is of rotting flesh, which is designed to attract pollinators such as flies. The arum can take up to 12 years to flower, although this plant, currently in the Princess of Wales conservatory at Kew, last flowered in September 2021.

Native to Tropical West Africa, Aristolochia goldieana has only flowered three times in the UK, once at the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew in the 1990s and once in the Palm House at Kew in 2023. The species was first described in 1865 and its foliage smells bitter and of chemicals while the flowers smell like a rubbish heap in summer. The climber grows a couple of feet each year, and is now about four metres tall.

Watch the Titan arum flowering

At the moment there are two Titan arums in flower at Kew which has not happened for more than five years. Pollen is usually hand-collected from the odorous plant, frozen and stored, then deforested when required to hand-pollinating future flowers. However, with two individuals flowering in such quick succession Kew horticulturists have been able to use the pollen from the first plant to hand-pollinate the second, using paintbrushes.

Kew Diploma Student, Toby Lovegrove, hand-pollinates the Titan arum ©Sebstian Kettley © RBG Kew

The Titan arum is currently in flower in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens, and should be in flower for two-three days. The Aristolochia goldieana is in flower in the Palm House at Kew Gardens, and should be in flower for 3 days. Each plant takes several years to produce a flower that can grow up to three metres in height.

Titan arum flowering at Kew Sebstian Kettley © RBG Kew