Smelly Corpse Flower Blooming in Chicago This Week!

A smelly corpse flower will be blooming at the Chicago Botanic Garden in the end of August 2015.

CBS Chicago reported that the beautiful rainforest flower which stands six feet tall and emits a bad odor is getting close to blooming at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

Botanists cited that the plant is not yet ready for its much-anticipated opening. The corpse flower, or titan arum, has not yet started oozing secretions from its surrounding seam of leaves or spathe. It usually does this hours before blooming, and also releases a minor stench.

Julie McCaffrey, a spokesperson for the Chicago Botanic Garden, stated that the corpse flower, called “Spike” is getting fatter at 39 inches, but not taller. The plant was still 68 inches since the night of August 23, 2015. It has started to attract more flies and its temperature was several degrees higher in the late afternoon of August 25.

As of 7:00 p.m. of August 25, McCaffrey mentioned that the corpse flower would most likely bloom in the next 12 to 48 hours, based on the same CBS report.

The unique plant is currently situated at the Regenstein Center semi-tropical greenhouse. Spike is still attracting huge crowds. In the past weekend, about 10,000 people came to witness the plant. Overall, over 38,000 people have visited to see the display. Crowds start to come at 7:00 a.m. when the gates are opened and even stay after 9:00 p.m., when the garden officially closes. The odor of the corpse flower is strongest during the early hours of the morning, so visitors are allowed to enter until 2 a.m. on the day that Spike is expected to bloom. Parking will be free after 9:00 p.m.

The corpse flower is described as being large in size, featuring an odd shape and letting out a terrible stench. The plant is found in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. However, it is rare to see the titan arum bloom. The ones that bloom are said to be quite offensive to the senses, with the smell being described by some as a mixture of rotting fish, limburger cheese, smelly feet and garlic.

Meanwhile, another corpse flower, nicknamed Metis, is also preparing to bloom at Binghamton University’s E.W. Teaching Greenhouse. Some members of the plant species only bloom once every five to 30 years. The plant is expected to bloom on August 26, 2015.Treehugger provided a live-stream video of the event.