Blakespear Celebrates Corpse (Plant) in Encinitas

Having invited hordes of homeless people to town, having greenlighted unbridled development in the city and having had her bike lanes responsible for dozens of injuries and at least one death, Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear was hungry for a positive PR moment. Her opportunity came with the bloom of a corpse plant at San Diego Botanic Garden, formerly known as Quail Botanical Gardens.

The corpse plant’s scientific name, Amorphophallus titanum, translates to giant, misshapen, erect penis, a fact Blakespear did not mention.

Thousands of visitors flocked to the garden to see, smell and photograph the corpse plant, which blooms gloriously for only 48 hours.

As it blooms, the flower releases a putrid odor likened to rotting flesh. The odor has evolved to ensure the perpetuation of the species. The stench attracts carrion beetles and flesh flies that help the plant pollinate. 

“Something’s rotten in the city of Encinitas,” said a visitor to the garden as she held her nose and giggled at her Shakespeare reference.

The corpse plant grows in the wild in the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it blooms infrequently. Although the latitude of Encinitas is much farther north, the plant is not regarded as an invasive species because it’s confined to the botanic garden. 

“Perhaps the botanists at the gardens can get the corpse plant to bloom more often,” said Blakespear. “Events like this bring more people to Encinitas. They enjoy themselves and patronize local businesses, so everybody wins.”