The University of Tartu Botanical Garden's palm house stinks - Konjac is blooming again

This year is a rare new opportunity for those who missed last year's stinking Konjac. The flower will open and bloom in the next few days.

The beautiful dandelion is about to bloom in the palm house of the University of Tartu Botanical Garden, and its fragrance can be smelled far and wide. Hurry up if you're interested, as the Konjac will flower for a short time. It looks as if you can admire it until the end of the week.

Konjac belongs to the family Araceae, which is characterised by a raceme of small flowers supported, covered, and shaded by a bracteole of various shapes and colours. For example, its cousin, the giant Konjac, holds the world record for having the largest unfurled inflorescence in the world. Its roots, more than 100 species, originate from tropical Africa and Asia.

The Latin name for Konjac is Amorphophallus rivieri (synonym A. konjac), the first half of Amorphophallus meaning "deformed phallus". The life of Konjac is mysterious. The plant spends much of its life cycle dormant in the soil, and when it comes to the end of its rest, a 'nose' emerges from the soil to form a flower of a particular shape, colour and scent or a single large and magnificent leaf stalk. A well-grown and well-nourished tuber will first produce a flower which can grow to more than a metre long and is dark purplish red in colour. At the height of flowering, the flower emits a fragrance that is music to the ears of dust bunnies and other winged creatures with similar tastes. Konjac flower only blooms for a few days, about 36 hours.

At the end of flowering, the flower fades, and a giant leaf starts to grow from the pot. In common parlance, the plant is known as the potato palm - a name given to the leaf, like an enlarged potato leaf at the end of a tall single stem. Once the leaf has filled its superficial position and the soil tuber has grown larger and been nourished, the subterranean rest comes again.

The University of Tartu Botanical Garden is again inviting visitors to see the Konjac, and if you missed the flower last year, you could do so again this year. The University Botanical Garden's greenhouse is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, admission is with a ticket.