WILLIMANTIC, CT — One of the world's most interesting and strange plants is about to make its triennial bloom Eastern Connecticut State University.
Corpse flowers (officially Amorphophallus titanium) are notorious for their noxious odor and massive, short-lived blooms, and one may open in the Eastern greenhouse this weekend, according to Biology Professor Bryan Connolly.
Connolly will open the greenhouse during the elusive, stinky bloom, which comes only once every few years and lasts just a couple of days before it withers back into the soil.
The Corpse flower is the world's largest unbranched inflorescence — a group of flowers arranged on a stem — and can reach heights up to 12 feet tall. Its first bloom may take up to 10 years and last just a few days, while later blooms may occur every two or three years.
Eastern's greenhouse contains upwards of 10 individuals, each resurrecting on its own accord. One spectacular and putrid bloom in 2024 included two corpse flowers at the same time and attracted hundreds of visitors, some who even flew from across the country to witness the rare event.
Corpse flowers are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The plant reeks of feces and rotting fish to attract pollinators that normally feed and lay eggs on dead animals, according to Connolly.
Because they are rare in the wild, with only approximately 1,000 individuals in their native habitat, The species is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The flowers' powerful odor is necessary to facilitate cross-pollination between plants that may be miles apart.
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