It’s okay if you don’t want to smell them, but you can still watch the U.S. Botanic Garden’s three corpse flowers bloom between August 17 to 23. In the above video, the public will be able to livestream the momentous, stinky flowers whose stench is supposed to resemble something between “dead animal-esque to trashy to eau de cabbage,” according to DCist.
From August 17 to 23, the Botanic Garden intends to stay open until 10 p.m. In an interview with DCist, Susan Pell, the science and public programs manager at the Botanic Garden, said, "If [visitors] want to get that super stink, they'll want to come that night that its fully open."
If hoping for a triple whammy of colossal stink, know that the likelihood of all three flowers blooming at the same time is pretty small, according to Ray Mims, who works on conservation partnerships and sustainability at the Botanic Garden.
The Botanic Garden has over a dozen corpse flowers in its collection. Native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, they are able to grow up to 12 feet tall and live for 40 years. Because the plants are able to generate heat, that allows the stench to travel further.
The last time the Botanic Garden hosted a blooming corpse flower was in August 2016.
• Three corpse flower blooms at USBG [U.S. Botanic Garden]
• Watch live: the mesmerizing, putrid bloom of 3 corpse flowers [Vox]
• The Corpse Flower's Stench Is Returning To D.C., And There Are Three Blooming This Time [DCist]
• D.C.’s stinky corpse flower is in full bloom [Curbed DC]