Uncle Fester鈥檚 rancid majesty finally made itself known to thousands of Vancouverites Monday morning, as morbid curiosity reached levels never before seen in the Bloedel Conservatory鈥檚 50-year history.
By 11 a.m. Monday morning, lineups exceeded two hours, tents were set up to accommodate the crush of humanity and at least one boss in 麻豆传媒映画got a call from an employee who magically came down with a case of the Mondays.
Indeed, nothing packs in the crowds like a promise to get up close to a smell that鈥檚 compared to the stench of death, diapers and disease all wrapped into one.
鈥淚t鈥檚 drawn more attention than I ever thought it would have and for here, it鈥檚 the biggest draw we鈥檝e ever had,鈥� said Bloedel superintendent Bruce Mcdonald. 鈥淲e鈥檙e getting people from all over the place seeing it.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥� is titan arum. Its scientific name is Amorphophallus titanium. The people of Vancouver, however, call it Uncle Fester, as per a naming contest that took place last week.
Titan arum is the largest flower in the world, and its bloom on late Sunday/early Monday was a first for B.C.
Those who spoke to the Courier Monday had waited upwards of an hour to bask in Fester鈥檚 oddity. Those wait times were upwards of two hours by midday, which is understandable given that flower might not bloom again for a decade.
Aside from that point, why would hundreds, if not thousands, of people line up for hours to see a six-foot plant that reeks of grim death?
鈥淚 took the morning off work to be here and I think it鈥檚 because we鈥檙e attracted to gross things,鈥� Jon Athon told the Courier. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e heard the expression to 鈥榮top and smell the flowers.鈥� Very rarely do those flowers smell of a dead person. It鈥檚 so unusual that you can鈥檛 help but fall in love with it a tiny bit.鈥�
Truth be told, Fester wasn鈥檛 as putrid as he was billed. The plant heats itself internally, so the weekend鈥檚 soaring temperatures had little effect on Fester鈥檚 stench. The warm weather expected these next few days won鈥檛 have nearly as much influence on Fester鈥檚 smell as will the internal rhythms of the plant.
鈥淚 did not smell anything and I think the smell has dissipated. But it was worth it, absolutely. We learned a lot,鈥� Katja Thieme told the Courier.
Anna Prudova has a Bloedel membership and, like others, waited more than an hour to see Fester.
Colour her a tad disappointed.
鈥淚 was hoping to smell much more and I was actually worried about the smell before coming here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 understand that the place aired out a bit and actually it doesn鈥檛 smell that much right now. I鈥檓 a bit disappointed, so I may have to come back tomorrow morning.鈥�
Ditto for her eight year-old companion Arvin Bhattrai.
鈥淲ell, I didn鈥檛 smell much. I was right there and I couldn鈥檛 only smell a fraction,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not very strong. But it鈥檚 giant. It鈥檚 just so big.鈥�
It was, in fact, a recent growth spurt that tipped off park board staff that Fester was ready to pop. The plant grew six feet in six weeks leading up to early July.
Typically, the flowers need at least two or three more years to fully bloom.
Even Mcdonald鈥檚 last check Sunday night indicated nothing. A two-hour growth that curtailed around 7 p.m. was the final clue.聽
And finality will be the order of the day over the next 48 hours. Come Wednesday or Thursday, the corm (or flowering bud) will look like it鈥檚 retreating underneath a blanket.
鈥淚 hate to use this term, but it鈥檒l kind of go flaccid,鈥� Mcdonald said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to fall over, which is perfect for effect for something called Amorphophallus.鈥�
Fester鈥檚 next bloom is anyone鈥檚 guess. It鈥檚 not a self-fertile plant, and contains both male and female flowers that bud at different times. Then an exterior pollen source 鈥� lovely creatures such as carrion beetles and other insects that feed on rot 鈥� needs to enter the picture.
Even further to those factors, both the female and male flowers must flower within three days of each other. The female has to be at a point where it鈥檚 ready to receive pollen and the carrion beetles of the world have to travel great distances to seal the deal.
Park board chair Stuart Mackinnon celebrated his 62nd birthday Monday alongside Vancouver鈥檚 celebrity plant du jour, which he likened to the smell of a dead rat.
鈥淭his is an amazing event that the people of 麻豆传媒映画have embraced,鈥� Mackinnon said. 鈥淲e will have many more blooms to come. I don鈥檛 know how many more in my lifetime, but for many years to come people will be enjoying Uncle Fester.鈥�
The conservatory鈥檚 extended hours Monday and Tuesday are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Fester鈥檚 progress can be followed online at .
@JohnKurucz
