Monday, June 29th, is likely your last chance to see the Conservatory of Flowers’ sole resident corpse flower bloom … for years.
People have (again) lined up in droves at the Conservatory of Flowers to smell one of the world’s largest, smelly, polarizing flowers. Scarlett, the resident corpse flower at the aforementioned greenhouse, began her unfurling early last week, perfuming the Victorian glass house with notes of rotting flesh. But the bloom (as expected) peaked for just a few days — two, exactly — before withering into compostable material.
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“Thank you all for visiting Scarlet during her peak bloom,” the Conservatory wrote on Instagram over the weekend, doting over the thousands of people who visited the greenhouse over the past few days, solely to see the rare bloom.
The days leading up to Scarlett’s “peak bloom” were aflutter with media attention and social media engagement; no less than a dozen local and regional newspapers hyped up the bloom, later drawing the attention of national and international media coverage; a temporary educational booth —complete with an attendant dressed like Scarlet, herself — was erected near the flower to help field questions from visitors.
While Scarlett is still on display, her floral plumage is nearly gone. And today, June 29th, might well be the last time interested parties can get a chance to see her bloom before it disappears entirely.
“Scarlet is still on display at the Conservatory of Flowers but nearing the end of their bloom cycle,” the Conservatory continues on Instagram. “We recommend visiting the Conservatory soon!”
The Conservatory of Flowers is no longer hosting extended viewing hours for Scarlett, and those wanting to see her must secure an advanced ticket between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. today (or, at the unlikely latest, tomorrow). Scarlett bloomed nearly three years ago to the day … so don’t hold your breath if you’re considering just waiting for her next ripening.
San Francisco has one of the nation’s largest, publicly accessible collections of corpse flowers with six examples cultivated between the Conservatory of Flowers and the California Academy of Sciences, the latter institution managing five of the six.
Feature image: Courtesy of Instagram via [at]teikophotoa
