The rare and rancid corpse flower started to bloom Thursday at the University of Connecticut. Scientifically known as the Titan Arum, the flower smells like a rotting human corpse, and can be seen and smelled at the UConn department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology's conservatory. The bloom only lasts about 36 hours, and the odor is strongest in the late evening of the first night.
The Titan Arum seed was donated to UConn in 1994 by botanical explorer Dr. James Symon according to Plant Growth Facilities Manager Clinton Morse. When given to UConn, the seed was the size of a lima bean. Now the leaves are 12 feet high, and at its full bloom the flower will have a single blackish purple flower that produces the rotten odor.
The Titan Arum is a native of the rain forests of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Plants grow from a potato-like underground bulb, and after the bulb has grown to weigh in excess of a 100 pounds, the flower blooms.
The flower smells like decaying flesh to attract carrion flies and beetles for pollination. UConn's plant blossomed for the first time in 2004, ten years after the seed was planted, and again in 2007.
The UConn EEB Conservatory has a collection of exotic plants with displays of orchids, cacti and succulents, carnivorous plants, tropical ferns, and many other groups. It is located behind the Torrey Life Science Building. The conservatory will be open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight during the flower’s bloom.