Evoking Summer Of Love, Conservatory Invites Corpse Flower Handler Back

Evoking Summer Of Love, Conservatory Invites Corpse Flower Handler Back

This unidentified man fondled Terra The Titan on Monday. | Via YouTube

Walter Thompson
Published on June 23, 2017

The Summer of Love was 50 years ago, but at the Conservatory of Flowers, peace and understanding still rule the day.

On Monday, a visitor reached across a barrier to touch Terra the Titan, a rare blooming corpse flower that's been on display at the Conservatory in recent weeks. While he handled the endangered plant, a female companion observed.

The incident was captured on a live camera stream and stirred outrage on social media; days after Hoodline broke the news, it's been reported as far away as the UK.

via YouTube

But today, all is forgiven.

"In the aftermath of our huge Summer of Love celebration last night, we are wanting to bring some peace and love to this story," said Conservatory spokesperson Nina Sazevich, who aims to turn Monday's transgression into a teachable moment.

"The Conservatory of Flowers would like to invite the man who handled our Amorphophallus and his friend for a tour of the collection and a chance to share with the public a new understanding of the delicate beauty of plants," she said via email.

Terra the Titan's seed stalk and collapsed spandix. | Photo: Conservatory Of Flowers

Although Terra had finished blooming on Monday, the plant was still in a fragile state. At the beginning of the exhibit, volunteers placed the corpse flower behind a rope line and other plants to create a buffer zone, keeping close watch as the plant unfurled to reveal its spadix, a tube-shaped central structure.

On Monday, the tube folded over. Sazevich said the visitor and his companion "clearly visited after this collapse when we were no longer staffing the room intensively."

If you are the individual captured on video caressing the plant—which smells of feces, rotting meat, cheese, mouthwash and flowers—"please contact us," asked Sazevich.

Interested parties should email [email protected] with "I'm the guy" in the subject line.