Updated: July 9, 2026
One of nature’s most bizarre spectacles is getting ready to return to Franklin Park Conservatory, and yes, it smells exactly as bad as you’ve heard.
Is it smelly? Absolutely. Like really, really smelly? Yes, 100%. But is it also incredibly cool and interesting? Yep!
Also known as the titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum, this remarkable plant is famous for its size, striking appearance, and a rather unusual scent.
First things first, corpse plants are renowned for their gigantic size. In fact, they hold the record for having the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world! Imagine a flower that can reach heights of up to 10 feet (3 meters) or more. Now that’s impressive!
But what really makes corpse plants stand out is their smell.
Brace yourself, because it’s not for the faint of heart. When a corpse plant blooms, it emits a putrid odor akin to rotting flesh.
Yes, you heard that right! It’s nature’s way of attracting pollinators like carrion beetles and flies, which are fooled into thinking they’ve found a decaying animal to lay their eggs on. Clever, isn’t it?
Native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, corpse plants are a rare sight to behold. They bloom infrequently and unpredictably, sometimes only once every several years. When they do, the bloom lasts for just a few days, making it a truly remarkable event for botanists and enthusiasts alike.
This year, Franklin Park Conservatory’s Titan Arum is once again preparing to bloom, and the countdown is officially on. The plant is expected to bloom sometime Sunday or Monday, though as Conservatory staff note, “the plant is always in charge.”
As it gets closer, the Titan Arum is developing its signature deep maroon coloring and beginning the process of thermogenesis, where the spadix warms to roughly 98 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That heat helps carry the flower’s infamous rotting flesh scent, attracting carrion beetles and flies, its natural pollinators.
Once the bloom opens, it will last only about 24 to 36 hours, with the strongest odor arriving overnight during peak bloom.
If you want to experience one of the world’s strangest flowers in person, you’ll want to keep a close eye on Franklin Park Conservatory’s updates over the next few days.
Franklin Park Conservatory is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info and bloom updates, please visit fpconservatory.org.
Featured image via Facebook.
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