Tag Archives: corpse flower

The Stinky “Beast” has bloomed at Frederik Meijer Gardens

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WKTV Journal Soundbites featuring the Corpse Flower and a hot summer lineup at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


The rare and stinky corpse flower was in full bloom on Monday, June 17, at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

It attracted some 6,000 visitors who witnessed the beauty and stench, according to John VanderHaagen, Director of Communications at Meijer Gardens.

“The stink is hard to describe”

“It began to open up and reveal its beautiful red inside, and then the stink … the stink is kind of hard to describe. I would most liken it to … on a hot 95 degree day like we’ve been having lately, a deer that’s been hit on the side of the road and has been rotting for a week or two. It’s just that pungent. It’s amazingly disgusting, but such a phenomenon that we had about 6,000 people come in over the last few days to take pictures with the flower, stick their nose in it and smell it, be disgusted, and then enjoy the rest of the beautiful gardens that we have here at Meijer Gardens.”



The Corpse Flower (Photo Courtesy, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park)



Lovingly named The Beast by the GVSU biology department staff, it was on display inside the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse at Meijer Gardens. The Beast is on loan from GVSU and is part of their permanent collection.


The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) – also called titan arum – is one of the largest and rarest flowering plants in the world. The unpredictable blooming cycle makes each event a notable occurrence. It can take up to a decade to produce a flowering structure, and blooms for only 24 to 36 hours.


Its distinctive odor attracts pollinators, including carrion beetles and flesh flies, that feed on dead animals and is at its most pungent during peak bloom.

The corpse flower can grow up to 10 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Its leaf structure can reach up to 20 feet in height and 16 feet across. Although the enormous plant in bloom resembles one giant flower, it actually comprises a fleshy central spike called a spadix that holds two rings of male and female flowers, wrapped by the frilly spathe, a modified leaf that resembles a petal.

While the corpse flower’s bloom is short-lived, the plant itself can live for 40 years or more. It spends much of its life cycle as a dormant underground tuber. The corpse flower is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia and was first reported in 1878.


“This is an incredibly exciting and unique thing to experience,” said Steve LaWarre, Senior Vice President of Horticulture at FMG. “Many people go through their entire careers never seeing an example like this in person.


Corpse flower set to bloom at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park June 14-16

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“Putricia” corpse flower in 2018 (Courtesy, FMG)



By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (FMG) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) are excited to announce the bloom of a rare Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as a corpse flower.

Lovingly named The Beast by the GVSU biology department staff, peak bloom is expected between June 14 and 16, 2024 inside the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse at FMG. The Beast is on loan from GVSU and is a part of their permanent collection.

Unpredictable, large in size…and pungent!

The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) – also called titan arum – is one of the largest and rarest flowering plants in the world. The unpredictable blooming cycle makes each event a notable occurrence. It can take up to a decade to produce a flowering structure, and blooms for only 24 to 36 hours.

“The Beast” at Frederik Meijer Gardens June 2024 (Courtesy, FMG)


The bloom emits a strong odor resembling that of rotting flesh or a decaying animal, which is how it got the name “corpse flower.” Its distinctive odor attracts pollinators, including carrion beetles and flesh flies, that feed on dead animals and is at its most pungent during peak bloom.

The corpse flower can grow up to 10 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Its leaf structure can reach up to 20 feet in height and 16 feet across. Although the enormous plant in bloom resembles one giant flower, it actually comprises a fleshy central spike called a spadix that holds two rings of male and female flowers, wrapped by the frilly spathe, a modified leaf that resembles a petal.

While the corpse flower’s bloom is short-lived, the plant itself can live for 40 years or more. It spends much of its life cycle as a dormant underground tuber. The corpse flower is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia and was first reported in 1878.

A unique experience

U.S. Botanic Garden Corpse Flower Lifecycle (Courtesy, FMG)

“This is an incredibly exciting and unique thing to experience,” said Steve LaWarre, Senior Vice President of Horticulture at FMG. “Many people go through their entire careers never seeing an example like this in person.

“We are thrilled that in addition to our own Putricia, which bloomed in 2018, we are able to display another Amorphophallus titanum thanks to our colleagues at Grand Valley State University, and that the public is showing such great interest. We are especially excited to work with the biology department at GVSU and are thankful for the collaboration between our organizations.”

GVSU’s plant, which was donated in 2015 by Tim Strickler, professor emeritus of biomedical sciences, bloomed for the first time just two years ago.

“Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse staff members at Grand Valley were definitely surprised to see our Amorphaphallus tintanum starting to bloom again so soon after the last bloom in the spring of 2022,” said Christina Hipshier, greenhouse supervisor. “We are grateful for the help from Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in displaying The Beast.

“Considering that this bloom is happening during a time when most students are not on campus, we are excited for the visibility that this collaboration will bring.”

How to see the corpse flower

Guests can experience the unique smells and sights of this rare event during Meijer Gardens’ normal hours of operation.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at MeijerGardens.org/tickets.

Corpse Flower set to bloom — and stink — at Meijer Gardens

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By Meijer Gardens

 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is excited to announce the bloom of a rare Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as a corpse flower, a bloom 18 years in the making.

 

Lovingly named “Putricia” by the Meijer Gardens horticulture staff, peak bloom is expected between Thursday, July 12, and Saturday, July 14, inside the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. Guests can experience the sights and smells of this rare event during Meijer Gardens’ normal hours of operation.

 

The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) – also called titan arum – is one of the largest and rarest flowering plants in the world. It can take up to a decade to produce a flowering structure and when it blooms is open for only 24 to 36 hours.

 

“As a professional horticulturist, this is incredibly exciting,” said Steve LaWarre, Director of Horticulture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. “Many people go through their entire careers never seeing an example like this in person. We are thrilled that something that we started as a seedling here at Meijer Gardens 18 years ago is coming to fruition and that the public is showing such great interest.”

 

The name corpse flower comes from the nauseating smell that the plant emits when it opens. This feature attracts carrion beetles and flies that are the natural pollinators of Amorphophallus titanum.

 

The plant was first reported in Sumatra, Indonesia, in 1878. Its distinctive odor attracts pollinators that feed on dead animals and is at its most pungent during peak bloom.

 

Amorphophallus titanum is the largest unbranched inflorescence (a cluster of flowers on a spike) in the plant kingdom, growing up to 12 feet tall in its natural habitat and about six to eight feet tall in cultivation. Although the enormous plant in bloom resembles one giant flower, it actually comprises a fleshy central spike called a spadix that holds two rings of male and female flowers, wrapped by the frilly spathe, a modified leaf that resembles a petal.

 

For more information on Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park visit meijergardens.org .