Stinky Corpse Flower Plant Marks First Bloom on UConn Campus Since 2013

STORRS, CT — Did you smell the stinky flower in Storrs? A corpse flower named Bullseye has become the first of its kind to bloom at the University of Connecticut since 2013.

The bloom is also the first UConn corpse flower to open during the semester, officials said. Bullseye is on display inside the UConn Botanical Conservatory in Storrs.

Though the plant is native to Sumatra, tropical greenhouse horticulturalist Cole Geissler said the specimen came to UConn in 2012 as a seedling from The Ohio State University. He explained that from seed, if the plant is grown under ideal conditions, it usually takes between seven and 10 years to bloom initially. Geissler also said the long-lived plant can bloom every four to five years and can grow to weigh more than 300 pounds under the right conditions.

Geissler re-potted Bullseye last November, and realized the plant, at 29 pounds, was within the weight range to begin blooming. The first signs of growth were observed on March 14 and staffers and students found out it was a flower and not just a leaf earlier this month.

The well-known rancid smell of the corpse flower attracts pollinators drawn to the scent of rotting flesh, including flies, beetles, and cockroaches, Geissler said. Other members of the same plant family can produce odors that range from feces-like to dirty gym socks.

Officials said that a temperate relative of the plant — skunk cabbage — is growing now around Connecticut. Like other members of that plant family, skunk cabbage produces its own heat, which helps it start growing quite early in the season.