Corpse Flower Blooms Unexpectedly at Chicago Botanic Garden

It turns out a rare corpse flower would bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2015, just not the one that had been expected.

“Alice,” a nearly five-foot tall titan arum bloomed unexpectedly late Monday night, according to the Chicagoist and other reports. The bloom comes two months after another titan arum, “Spike” failed to bloom on schedule and had been forced open by scientists.

“Given that titan arums [a.k.a. corpse flowers] are notably unpredictable flowering plants (and we should know!), we wanted to be sure that she would bloom before we announced her debut,” a statement on The Botanic Garden website read.

Titan arum flowers are known for taking up to 12 years to bloom and for their repulsive smell.

Alice will be on display at the CBG all day Tuesday until 2 a.m. and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

more via the Chicagoist