ENCINITAS — A rare Amorphophallus titanum, best known by its common name as “corpse flower,” is now in bloom at the San Diego Botanic Gardens.
The corpse flower will be on public display in the Dickinson Family Education Conservatory for about a week, adding a thrilling new element to Savage Gardens, the carnivorous plant exhibition.
The blooming of a corpse flower is a rare and special event, as most plants require seven to 10 years to produce their first blooms, and bloom only every four to five years thereafter. This will be the first corpse flower blooming at the gardens since November 2021.
The plant will be approximately four feet tall and emit its unique stench for only two days.
“The corpse flower is the smelly rock star of the plant world,” said San Diego Botanic Garden President and CEO Ari Novy. “Its putrescence attracts pollinators in its native habitat in Sumatra, Indonesia, while also attracting curious humans from around the world excited to experience this beautiful, stinky, giant inflorescence.”
Due to its odor, which smells like a rotting corpse or carcass, the plant is characterized as a carrion flower that attracts carcass-eating insects. Native to the rainforests of Sumatra, the humid climate that this rare and endangered plant grows in will be replicated in the Garden’s 8,000 square foot glass enclosed Conservatory.
This magnificent plant is currently on loan from Fullerton Arboretum. Fewer than 1,000 plants remain in the wild, and botanic gardens and private collections currently have roughly 500 specimens in their collections.
For those unable to visit in person, a 24-hour live stream of the plant will be available on the San Diego Botanic Gardens website.
Ticket reservations are required. Entrance to the conservatory is included with general admission. Members receive free admission, non-member admissions range from $10 to $18.
