How long would you stand in line to see an endangered flower?
Twenty minutes? An hour? Longer?
"Your wait is approximately an hour-and-a-half.... plus," Como Park Conservatory educator Beth Myers told a multitude of people who swarmed by the historic building for a glimpse, and sniff, of Horace the Corpse Flower.
The plant is native of Sumatra and blooms for a short time every seven years or so, emitting a stench likened to rotting flesh that attracts pollinators.
And, about that wait.
While early risers got in and out of the Majorie McNeely Conservatory in good time, when the afternoon hours came, the line was well out the side door.
Some say they waited four hours while the line snaked through the visitor's center, meandered through the fern room, dropped into the sunken gardens, made a hard right around the palm dome, and then inched into the north side of the historic building.
"I haven't had lunch, so I might have to go and eat," said Sherry Johnson of Bloomington, who soldiered on while stopping at every bench she saw to take a breather.
And she was about 200 people away from the end of the line, which was cut off at 4:00 p.m. Thursday to allow workers time to set up for a wedding.
Now, this wasn't a line for pickle pizza at the Minnesota State Fair because the payoff at the end might not be filling for some.
But the demeanor of the folks lying in wait was even-keeled, the small children well-behaved.
"This is really weird," said one teenaged girl, about three hours into the wait.
And getting that rare chance to experience the Corpse Flower was hardly disappointing for many.
"Well worth it!" said another potential master gardener, her eyes sparkling and her smile broadening.
WCCO's Al Schoch waited nearly 3 hours and bailed because dinner was waiting. He did use the conservatory's historic entrance/exit.