We are on BLOOM WATCH, STAY TUNED!
GET CRAZY FOR THE CORPSE FLOWER!
Norfolk Botanical Garden’s rare Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) is expected to bloom around July 4th, however, we are on nature’s time. We will keep everyone updated as the time gets closer. Visitors will have a a unique opportunity to witness one of the world’s most unusual, smelliest and infrequent botanical events. It may not bloom again for 10 years!
DURING THE BIG BLOOM
When it blooms we will open early JUST FOR NBG MEMBERS, as well as offer extended evening hours.
The anticipated bloom comes as the Garden prepares to open The Garden of Tomorrow this September, an expanded project focused on plant conservation and education. The project will support efforts to protect some of the world’s most threatened plant species and contribute to global conservation efforts.
FAST FACTS
- There are less than 1,000 left in the wild, probably far less. Primary reason is deforestation for the production of palm oil which is needed to make shelf stable snacks. Check food labels and avoid purchase of things with palm oil to help. Sadly, that’s very difficult to do. It’s also in cosmetics and soaps. Palmolive dish soap is a good example of it literally being in the name.
- It’s not the largest flower in the world (that would be Rafflesia, also a flower that smells like rotting meat) but it is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The Amorphophallus is made up of many small flowers.
- There’s no way to predict when ours, or any, will bloom again, but they take several years for the tuber to get large enough to bloom and can weigh over 100 pounds
- It’s tropical so cannot be grown in Hampton roads without a greenhouse
- They smell like rotting flesh to attract its main pollinators, carrion beetles and flies
- The scent will be most intense late the first night of bloom for those who want to experience that
- It is quite bad, some people find it too intense to be around more than a few seconds
BLOOM UPDATES
Our corpse flower is in its rapid growth phase! Since we began officially measuring on June 16, it has grown more than two feet in just 10 days. We’ve been recording its progress every day and will be sharing a time-lapse of this incredible growth. We expect the bloom to occur sometime between July 4 and July 8, but nature sets the schedule. Like waiting for a baby to arrive, there are signs—the dramatic growth will suddenly slow, letting us know the bloom is just around the corner. Once it opens, the flower will last only 2–3 days and may not bloom again for another 10 years. Stay tuned for updates!
The past 10 Day:
June 16: 21 inches
June 17: 22.5 inches
June 18: 24 inches
June 19:16.5 inches
June 22: 33 ¾ inches
June 23: 37 ¾ inches
June 24: 41 inches
June 25: 45.25 inches
June 26: 50.5 inches
Welcoming our Corpse Flower
(Amorphophallus titanum)
As a symbol of strengthening partnerships with other institutions, the Garden received an incredible gesture of support
from the United States Botanical Garden: a donation of a blooming-sized Amorphophallus titanum, also known as
“Corpse Flower.” It will be planted in time for The Garden of Tomorrow opening next year.
This gift is particularly special because there are fewer than 1,000 corpse flowers left in the wild. It is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), primarily because of habitat loss from the conversion of natural forests into palm oil plantations. Palm oil is a common ingredient in many processed food and household items such as instant noodles, cookies, cosmetics, soaps and detergents, peanut butter and breakfast cereals.
This gift is more than a rare botanical treasure — it is a valuable teaching tool about the urgent lesson of conservation, challenging us to consider how our everyday lifestyle and consumer choices are intricately connected to the survival of the Earth’s most extraordinary plants. I is also a reminder that we are all deeply interconnected, our lives and choices rippling even to the far reaches of the Sumatran rainforests. So, beyond the rarity, what makes the Amorphallus titanum such a headliner when it blooms?
One of the main draws is its sheer size. It is the largest unbranched inflorescence (a flower arrangement along a single, unbranched axis) in the plant kingdom. In the wild, they can grow up to 12 feet tall, but in cultivation they typically grow about 8 feet tall. The diameter of the flower can be close to 3 feet. Additionally, bloom time can be a bit unpredictable, adding an element of elusiveness to witnessing this event. It takes approximately seven to 10 years for the corm to gather enough energy to bloom. The corm can weight more than 200 pounds once it reaches blooming size!
In addition to being one of the largest flowering plants in the world, it is also one of the smelliest. The rotten flesh smell combined with heat-producing thermogenesis to disperse the odor, is an ingenious evolutionary strategy to attract its primary pollinators —carrion beetles and flies. Once these insects are lured in, their exploring inadvertently transfers pollen, leading to successful pollination. As the Garden prepares to welcome this extraordinary plant, we invite you to witness not only its otherworldly beauty, but also the powerful story it tells—one of wonder, fragility, and our shared responsibility to protect it. The arrival of this rare gift at the Garden is more than just an event, it’s a call to curiosity, connection and conservation.
Pictured to the right is the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) in bloom at the United States Botanic Garden
