Stinky Surprise: Corpse Flower Set For Rare Bloom At San Marino's Huntington Library
SAN MARINO (CBSLA) – The notorious Corpse Flower is ready to bloom at the Huntington Library in San Marino for just the twelfth time in the last 22 years.
The plant, nicknamed "Stankosaurus Rex" because of its notorious smell, is now 71 inches tall.
The bloom is rare. This will mark just the 12th corpse flower to bloom at the Huntington Library since August of 1999. It last bloomed in September of 2020.
The Amorphophallus titanum, also known as a Titan Arum, has been called the world's largest flower, but is technically an "inflorescence," or a cluster of flowers. It can reach more than 8 feet in height when it blooms, opening to a diameter of 4 feet.
When in one of its ultra-rare blooms, it gives off an odor akin to rotting flesh, attracting insects that pollinate the flowers deep inside.
The blooming plant produces two key gases -- dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide -- that also are present in decomposing animals and vegetables, Turner-Lowe said.
What prompts a particular plant to start the blooming process largely remains a mystery, Turner-Lowe said, but the corpse flower tends to bloom during hot weather.
Once it blooms, it will be opened to the public for a limited in-person viewing in the Conservatory. The Conservatory is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Tuesdays.
Only the front of the Conservatory (where the corpse flower is located) is open to visitors.
Reservations are not required to visit weekdays, but reservations are required for weekends and the Monday holiday.
A live stream of the corpse flower is available here.
The flower was first displayed in the United States in 1937 at the New York Botanical Garden.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)