In a Sydney greenhouse, a tall pointed flower is about to bloom for the first time in years.
To the scientific community, the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’s corpse flower is known as amorphophallus titanum, which translates to large, deformed penis. But online, the rare endangered plant has taken on a new name: Putricia.
Corpse flowers like Putricia are native to western Sumatra, Indonesia. It’s the first time a corpse flower has bloomed in the Royal Botanic Garden in 15 years – and when they do blossom, they last just 24-48 hours, and emit a smell likened to “a rotting carcass,” says Daniella Pasqualini, the botanic gardens’ horticultural development supervisor.
For days, people in Sydney have been visiting Putricia – a combination of “putrid” and “Patricia”, chosen by an internal staff vote in honour of the smell it emits when it flowers.
Online, away from any potential smell, thousands are watching a livestream of Putricia, waiting for her to blossom in front of a pale purple curtain.
On Wednesday, 3,000 people were watching the live stream at some points and comments in the live chat were non-stop. “Anyone else not wearing deodorant today in solidarity?” wrote one. Others went a step further, effectively worshipping Putricia.
“People have become quite obsessed with her,” Pasqualini says. “She’s taken on a life of her own.”
Blessed Be the Bloom
During Wednesday’s live stream chat, viewers made their feelings for the corpse flower known.
“Putricia for president,” one viewer commented. “Putricia for Aussie Queen,” said another.
“Putricia is too pure for political shenanigans,” someone else opined.
One viewer pondered whether Putricia “thinks we stink”. Another reminded everyone of their place: “I don’t think she even thinks of us. Not even a second thought. She’s above us.”
On Sunday Beatrice Callaghan started a forum on Discord to share resources, updates and photos of Putricia. Eleven people joined that night. In just three days, the number surpassed 200.
A series of acronyms and in-jokes have emerged, including We Do Not Eat Putricia (WDNEA) – a response to regular questions about whether the plant is edible and what it tastes like – and Blessed Be the Bloom (BBTB), a fairly new acronym that Callaghan understands is a reference to Blessed Be the Fruit from The Handmaid’s Tale, a greeting that encourages fertility.
But putting Putricia under pressure to bloom is not accepted by the community of viewers, or the Botanic Gardens.
“We Do Not Rush Putricia! It’s like waiting for a baby to be born,” the Botanic Gardens of Sydney responded to a viewer who asked in a Q&A on the live stream when Putricia will flower. This invited a flood of viewers to comment “WDNRP” with the energy of a devoted religious chant (but typed, and about a plant).
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“There’s obviously a general interest in botany and science amongst a lot of people in the chat, but I would say a lot of it is people just enjoying the community vibe that has sprung up around it,” Callaghan says.
International fans
Putricia has drawn people from across the globe, with people from California, Italy, Nigeria and Canada engaging in Callaghan’s Discord server. One viewer in the US said they have been watching Putricia “on night shifts”.
“The whole thing is so compelling,” they said.
Some viewers in the Discord server have been creating watercolour and crochet fan art of Putricia, while others have pulled together a Spotify playlist.
“It’s just become kind of this bizarre creative energy that sprung up around her, and I think a lot of people are just really drawn to that,” Callaghan says.
“A lot of people have openly said they never liked plants until they discovered Putricia,” Pasqualini says.
She thinks Putricia, and the personality that has been made for her by viewers online, comes out of a landscape of negativity in the news at the moment.
“Cost of living, housing crisis, Donald Trump, all this stuff happening … Does she represent hope? Or is it just simply a distraction from things?,” Pasqualini says.
Users in the Discord chat said the sense of community is part of the draw.
“Putricia is the only vibe we need for 2025,” one said. “She has taught patience, positivity and community spirit and brought people from around the world together.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve been in a chat that’s stayed so positive for so long,” another remarked.