Photo by JORDAN STEAD
This rare plant usually takes about seven years to produce its first bloom, which only remains open for about 48 hours.
Originally written by The Spheres staff on November 9, 2018
Updated June 30, 2023
In late October 2018, Morticia, a corpse flower, bloomed in The Spheres. Thousands of plant enthusiasts watched Morticia in person and through a Twitch livestream.
In 2019, we were delighted to welcome Bellatrix, a second corpse flower, to The Spheres. During her bloom, Bellatrix topped out at over six feet tall. Both plants, Morticia and Bellatrix, were generously donated by the University of Washington Botany Greenhouse back in 2014.
In June 2023, Morticia 2.0, a corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) in the Amazon Plant Collection, showed the first sign of flowering. Expected to bloom within the next two weeks, the Amazon Horticulture Team is delighted to witness another bloom, which only occurs every 5-7 years.
The Corpse flower has the largest unbranched flowering structure in the world and can grow over nine feet tall. The plant takes a minimum of seven years to produce its first bloom. A bloom lasts only about 48 hours. When in bloom, the flower gives off a putrid odor of rotting flesh. It is pollinated by flies and carrion beetles. To help the smell travel further, the flower heats up to 98 degrees. When not in flower, the Corpse flower produces a single leaf that can reach 15 feet tall and equally wide which resembles a small tree.
Check out the gallery for photos of Morticia and Bellatrix during their visit to The Spheres.
Corpse flower at The Spheres
Watch this time lapse of Morticia blooming at The Spheres in 2018. This captures over nine hours of blooming.
Photo by Dave Quigg
Morticia in bloom at The Spheres, 2018. Once in bloom, the flower of a corpse flower only stays open for about 48 hours.
Photo by JORDAN STEAD
Horticulturist Justin shows the corpse flower to Seattle gardening expert Ciscoe Morris. Ciscoe learned the story behind Morticia and shared advice with the horticulturists on a procedure to cut a hole in the base of the plant. This hole will help the Amazon Horticulture team learn more about the plant while it's in bloom.
Photo by Amazon Horticulture
Amazon Horticulture successfully pollinated seeds from Bellatrix, the corpse flower that bloomed in The Spheres in June 2019. These seeds can take up to nine months to ripen before they can be planted.
Photo by Amazon Horticulture
A close up shot of Morticia at The Spheres.
Photo by JORDAN STEAD
