Corpse Flower | The Huntington (2024)

The Anatomy of the Titan Arum

The size of the Corpse Flower bloom is probably its greatest attraction. The tallest flowering specimen at The Huntington—aptly named Stankosaurus Rex—measured over 8 feet tall (98 inches). The world record holder comes in at over 12 feet tall. The “tuber,” which is actually a corm, can weigh over 300 pounds and the solitary umbrella-like leaf can be over 15 feet tall. But it’s the rotting flesh smell of the flowers that makes this plant so memorable and notorious. Adding to the mystique is the ephemeral nature of such a massive flowering effort, lasting only two to three days, and the rarity of seeing a specimen in bloom at any time, anywhere.

Corpse Flower Life Cycle

When the Titan Arum blooms, it comes straight out of the soil from an underground corm, looking like a giant bud without any foliage. But the plant does produce a single, giant leaf when it isn’t in bloom. However, you might not recognize it as a leaf: A mature plant will produce a leaf about 12 feet tall, consisting of a smooth stem topped with a fringe of leaflets, resembling a slender, green palm tree. Several of them are on display in The Huntington’s Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science. The leaf can last longer than a year before it dies away.

Corpse Flower | The Huntington (1)

What is often referred to as the plant’s flower is an inflorescence, a specialized structure that supports small individual flowers. The Corpse Flower produces the most massive unbranched inflorescence of any flowering plant. In common to all members of the aroid family (Araceae), the inflorescence consists of an outer protective sheath (spathe) that surrounds a central column bearing small individual flowers (spadix). Better-known members of this family include philodendrons, anthuriums, calla lilies, pothos, and others.

Corpse Flower | The Huntington (2)

Corpse Flowers at The Huntington

In August 1999, The Huntington was the focus of worldwide attention when it exhibited the first Amorphophallus titanum ever to bloom in California. It was only the 11th recorded bloom of one of these plants in the United States. During the Titan’s short bloom, Huntington botanists hand-pollinated the plant with its own pollen, using an experimental technique (self-pollination is normally impossible). Since that extraordinary event, The Huntington has shared the flowering of this rare species with the public in subsequent years. Currently, we maintain several dozen plants of Amorphophallus titanum in our greenhouses and planted in the Conservatory. This summer, our 22nd Corpse Flower bloomed in August, immediately followed by expected blooms 23 and 24 in September!

Corpse Flower | The Huntington (2024)

FAQs

Where is the corpse flower at Huntington Gardens? ›

Several of them are on display in The Huntington's Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science. The leaf can last longer than a year before it dies away. What is often referred to as the plant's flower is an inflorescence, a specialized structure that supports small individual flowers.

What flower takes 40 years to bloom? ›

Amorphophallus Titanum, the largest flower in the. world. It blooms once every 40 years only for 4 days! Also called the Corpse Flower because of the smell.

What is the stinky flower that blooms every 10 years? ›

The corpse flower does not have an annual blooming cycle. The bloom emerges from, and energy is stored in, a huge underground stem called a "corm." The plant blooms only when sufficient energy is accumulated, making time between flowering unpredictable, spanning from a few years to more than a decade.

What is the flower that blooms once every 50 years? ›

This picture has been circulating in social media stating that it's a flower which blooms once in 50 years and it is called “Sankhupushpam”. It's a complete hoax. The image shown in the question is nothing but a genus of Sea Snails. It's just a species of sea snail known as Hirtomurex teramachii.

What is special about the corpse flower? ›

Found within the dense rainforests of Sumatra, Amorphophallus titanum earn the nickname of corpse flower by mimicking an odor of rotten meat to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles and flies. To increase its chances of pollination, the large spadix self-generates heat (thermogenesis).

What flower only blooms once every 100 years? ›

The agave americana plant is known as a century plant because it typically blooms once every 100 years at the end of its life cycle.

What flower blooms once in 3000 years? ›

Apparently the Udumbara flower is a rare and magical flower that blooms once every 3,000 years.

What flowers bloom every 3000 years? ›

A FLOWER WHICH BLOOMS ONE'S IN 3000 YEARS The Udumbara flower is said in Buddhist legend to bloom only once every 3,000 years, the last time being before the birth of Buddha. The Udumbara words come from Pali, Sanskrit language. Refers to the tree, flower and fruit of the “Ficus racemosa”.

What flower only blooms every 3000 years? ›

The rare Youtan Poluo or Udumbara flower, which, according to Buddhist legend, only blooms every 3,000 years, measures just 1mm in diametre.

What plant blooms every 100 years? ›

The plant's called an Agave Americana, a member of the asparagus family native to Mexico and the southern U.S. It's commonly known as the “century plant” because people used to think they bloomed only once every 100 years.

What is the rarest flower in the world? ›

The Middlemist Red Camellia, or Camellia japonica 'Middlemist's Red,' is an exceptionally rare flower with vibrant pinkish-red petals. With only two known living specimens in the world, both located in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it holds the title of the rarest flowering plant on Earth.

What flower is 7 years once blooming? ›

Giant Himalayan Lily. (Phys.org) —A relatively rare plant that flowers only once in seven years and then dies has blossomed - delighting horticulturalists at the University of Aberdeen. The Giant Himalayan lily - or Cardiocrinum giganteum var.

Is there a flower that takes 100 years to bloom? ›

In the Arid Greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Agave ocahui is known as the century plant because people used to think it flowered only once every 100 years.

What is the flower that blooms one night? ›

Night Blooming Cereus Flower

Grow night-blooming cereus. This beauty opens its flowers after dark — and they only last for the night. It's a plant that calls for an impromptu party, the kind where neighbors and friends pop in for a peek with sleepy kids in tow.

What flower blooms only one night? ›

The Night Queen is a dramatic night-blooming cactus. It blooms once a year, only overnight. This is a very extraordinary performance, as expected from plants that consume all reproductive energy in a short amount of time.

Where is the corpse flower located? ›

This plant is native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and first became known to science in 1878. In its natural habitat, the corpse flower can grow up to 12 feet tall.

Does the Huntington Library have the corpse flower? ›

A rare corpse flower finally opened its petals at The Huntingdon Library in San Marino and it is giving off a smell of "rotting flesh." The giant amorphophallus titanium blooms for just two to three days once every year or two.

Where can I see Death Valley Superbloom? ›

There are areas of localized high concentration of blooming flowers in the park. The best places to currently see flowers are near the east entrance (Dantes View Rd) and Panamint Valley (west side of the park). There are also nice flowers east of the park along Stateline Rd between Death Valley Junction and Pahrump.

Where is the corpse plant? ›

It is a rare tropical plant native to the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra, in Indonesia. When in flower, the plant releases a really stinky smell, like rotting meat. That's why Indonesians call it “Bunga Bangkai,” which means corpse flower. A corpse flower in bloom is as rare as it is spectacular.

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