World’s Smelliest Flower to Bloom at Wrocław Botanical Garden

The news in Polish

1. rzadki
   Występujący nielicznie, spotykany niezbyt często, nieczęsty. ↩︎
2. zakwitnąć
   Zacząć kwitnąć, wydać kwiaty po raz pierwszy lub w danym sezonie. ↩︎
3. nieprzyjemny
   Sprawiający przykre odczucia, nielubiany, budzący niechęć. ↩︎
4. zapach  (m.)
   Właściwość substancji wyczuwana przez zmysł węchu; woń, aromat lub odór. ↩︎
5. zgniły
   Uległy rozkładowi biologicznemu, zepsuty na skutek gnicia. ↩︎
6. kwitnienie  (n.)
   Okres lub proces, w którym roślina wydaje kwiaty. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What does the flower of the plant smell like?

Question 2: How tall can the plant grow?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
rzadki	rare
zakwitnąć	to bloom
nieprzyjemny	unpleasant
zapach  (m.)	smell
zgniły	rotten
kwitnienie  (n.)	flowering

Read the full story

The Botanical Garden of the University of Wrocław is preparing for what its staff are calling a historic event: the first ever blooming of a corpse flower, known in Polish as dziwidło olbrzymie, at the site. The rare tropical plant is expected to open within the next few days.

The plant, which produces the world’s largest flower spike, is native to the tropical rainforests of eastern Asia. As of 17 June, the specimen in Wrocław had reached a height of 94–95 centimetres, growing by as much as 10 centimetres in a single day. The species can grow up to 3 metres tall and reach 1.5 metres in diameter. For comparison, the Warsaw corpse flower that bloomed last year stood around 181 centimetres tall with a circumference of 108.5 centimetres just before it opened.

The flower is famous — or rather infamous — for the extraordinary smell it releases when it blooms. The scent closely resembles rotting flesh, which attracts insects that then pollinate the plant. The insects fly into the flower spike, become coated in pollen, and carry it to other plants. What repels most humans is, in other words, precisely the point.

During flowering, the plant also generates its own heat through a process called thermogenesis, raising the temperature inside the flower spike by 5–10°C above the surrounding air. This helps the scent disperse more quickly and can attract insects from several kilometres away. Other plants, including magnolia and lotus, use similar strategies to lure pollinators.

Garden botanists have not confirmed an exact date for the blooming but say it is expected within the coming days. Visitors can see the plant in the greenhouse pavilions at Henryka Sienkiewicza 23 in Wrocław. The garden has announced that opening hours will be extended to allow as many people as possible to witness the event. For those unable to travel to Wrocław, the garden plans to livestream the blooming on YouTube, though online viewers will, of course, miss the smell entirely.