“The morning after peak bloom for a corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum)”
Check out the action at the U.S. Botanic Garden (100 Maryland Ave, SW):
“Want to see and smell a big stink? We have a corpse flower bloom (Amorphophallus titanum) opening right now (Wednesday, June3)! We will stay open until 9 pm tonight for visitors to see the bloom opening and smell the infamous stench. This corpse flower is 8 years old and is blooming for the first time. It was created here at the United States Botanic Garden in 2017, by pollinating an A. titanum in our collection with pollen from another in our collection. The seed was planted in February 2018. It is 77.5” tall. A second bloom (on left) is expected to open June 3-5. We will open at 10 am Thursday, June 4.
The corpse flower is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world — it’s hundreds of flowers all working together and not just a single flower — that will stand just for 3-4 days. It will stink just the first 12-24 hours after opening (so, tonight!) to attract pollinators like flies. It is rare in its native home of Sumatra, Indonesia, with less than 1,000 left if the wild, and we are collaborating on conservation of the species along with other botanic gardens across the US and around the world. Learn more about these fascinating plants and our work with them at www.USBG.gov/CorpseFlower”