An Animalically Fragrant Ruby Tuesday Posted on May 5th, 2009 by Brian O'Brien

For all of you Perry the Corpse Flower fans out there, Perry’s smaller cousin, Ruby, is now putting on a spectacular display, both visual and olfactory, in the Gustavus greenhouse (click here and here for posts on Ruby and her/his fans from last spring, along with graphic descriptions of his/her vile/sublime fragrance).

Below are thumbnails linking to some photos taken today (Tuesday…) of Tom Oelfke, Nick Murray, and your faithful blogger of things aroidal. Please stop by for a look, and perhaps a sniff, during the next few days – Ruby’s inflorescence will not last long. For those of you who are blessed with serendipitous propensities, your visit might coincide with interaction with one of a number of humans who can let you into the greenhouse to experience Ruby’s highly intense fragrance. My personal impression is that the fragrance is quite a bit more foul than Perry’s, even though Perry produced a more voluminous plume.

‘Animalic’, within the context of perfumery, refers to odors associated with animals. Ruby’s fragrance fits the bill. His/her appearance also fits…that of a deceased animal. Hey, that’s one way to go if you want to be pollinated by flies or other such creatures…