Just in time for Halloween, a corpse flower at Grand Valley State University is set to bloom for the first time in two years — emitting the plant's trademark rotting flesh odor, the university announced on Friday, Oct. 9.
The Amorphophallus titanum at the Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse in the Kindschi Hall of Science, last bloomed in 2024.
Starting Monday, Oct. 12, GVSU will welcome the public to the greenhouse to view the rare tropical plant nicknamed "The Beast" from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hours will expand, until 10 p.m., when the flower reaches peak bloom and odor in mid-October.
Visitors may obtain a free day parking permit at GVSU's Parking Services office, near the Lake Michigan Drive entrance. They can also utilize pay-to-park options, the school
said in a news release.
As one of the largest plants in the world, the peak bloom fades quickly, usually lasting only 24-36 hours, GVSU greenhouse supervisor Christina Hipshier said.
The plant, native to Sumatra, Indonesia, smells like rotting flesh to attract insects that then pollinate the plant.
The plant was gifted to GVSU by a former faculty member in 2015. It bloomed in 2022 and wasn't expected to bloom again for another seven to 10 years, but it is "continuing a blooming timetable that is significantly more prolific than expected," the school said.
The plant was on loan at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park when it bloomed in 2024 for visitors.
The 2024 opening seemed to be a botanical aberration, deviating from the species' normal timeline, officials said. With this newest bloom, Hipshier is "assuming now this is an established pattern."
The plant is housed in the greenhouse's tropical room, with a temperature of around 70 degrees and a humidity level of 70%. It's set in a woolen bag to better wick moisture, but gardeners mist the plant regularly.
Will the school announce when the flower blooms?
Yes, GVSU will provide updates on the bloom
For fastest updates on expanded hours for peak bloom, check @gvsu and @barbarakindschigreenhousegvsu on Instagram.
How large are corpse flowers?
The U.S. Bontanical Garden says corpse flowers are the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom.
The bloom can grow up to 9 feet tall.
What makes corpse flowers smell so bad?
The Chicaco Botanic Garden says that "chemically, the scent is a combination of dimethyl trisulfide, isovaleric acid, dimethyl disulfide, benzyl alcohol, indole, and trimethylamine — or, as our friends at the Huntington Botanical Gardens described it, a combination of Limburger cheese, garlic, rotting fish, and smelly feet."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GVSU invites public to view corpse flower. When to expect rare bloom
