SAN MARINO, Calif. () — Two corpse flowers at The Huntington Library and Gardens have started to bloom!
Odorysseus and Odora have both begun to open and are releasing their famous rotting flesh smell.
Odorysseus– named after the Greek hero Odysseus — must’ve known about the major blockbuster film releasing in theaters this week — as it’s blooming for the first time. Meanwhile, Odora last bloomed in 2024.
Odorysseus began to bloom first, with Odora beginning to bloom just a few hours later. They will continue to fully open until about 2 a.m. Monday, when they reach their peak and maximum size. They will then begin to close back up.
Each bloom lasts only 24 to 48 hours and is one of the rarest and shortest-lived spectacles in the plant world. The plant blooms every two to three years,
It’s rare for both flowers to bloom at the same time.
Native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, the Titan Arum, also known as the corpse flower, is known for producing an odor to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles and flies, according to The Huntington. Visitors and botanists have compared the scent to rotten eggs, gym socks and decaying flesh.
The endangered species can grow more than 12 feet tall and, at peak development, as much as six inches per day.
The smell is used to attract the flower’s main pollinator, the carrion beetle.
The Huntington maintains one of North America’s largest collections of Titan Arums, with more than 43 mature plants, officials said.
Since acquiring its first specimen in 1999, the institution has publicly exhibited 29 corpse flower blooms, more than any other institution in the western United States, according to officials.
Botanical collections staff members hand-pollinate the plants during flowering to produce seeds for cultivation and distribution to other botanical gardens. The Huntington said it also shares pollen and underground plant stems with partner institutions as part of efforts to preserve the endangered species and reduce pressure on wild populations.
For tickets to see the corpse flowers in person, visit tickets.hutington.org/events. Fans can also watch the blooms live on The Huntington’s YouTube livestream.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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