Smelly spectacle: Second corpse flower now blooming at McMaster
'Titan arum flowerings are rare in nature and even rarer in cultivated specimens,' explains Arthur Yeas, technician at the McMaster Biology Greenhouse. Visit the corpse plant on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The rare corpse flower, widely known as the world’s smelliest plant, has begun to bloom at McMaster — one of only a handful in the world to do so this year.
The massive plant, also called titan arum, will unleash a stench likened to that of rotting flesh or meat. It is both beautiful and vile, blooming for only a few days.
“Titan arum flowerings are rare in nature and even rarer in cultivated specimens,” explains Arthur Yeas, technician at the McMaster Biology Greenhouse.
Found in the rain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, the large purple flower grows upwards of five or six feet tall and can take many years to bloom.
“They are an amazing example of plant biodiversity on earth and instil in people a love and appreciation of nature essential to our existence on earth,” says Yeas.
In October of last year, Yeas planted three 50-pound corms, or large bulbs, the first of which bloomed at the greenhouse in January, attracting more than 1,000 curious visitors.
The Biology Greenhouse will offer extended hours while the plant is in bloom.
Visit the corpse plant on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
