Corpse Flower

Both plants fool blowflies with rotting-corpse chemistry — but only one is garden-friendly. Discover the smell science behind nature’s 5 most convincing carrion mimics.

Your corpse flower won’t bloom if the corm is under 35 lbs — and that’s just one of 8 problems growers miss. Diagnose and fix them all here.

Growing a corpse flower from seed is one of the longest commitments in home horticulture. Amorphophallus titanum produces the largest unbranched inflorescence on Earth — a structure up to 10 feet tall that opens for just 24 to 48 hours and releases an odor scientists describe as a combination of rotting flesh and sweaty gym socks. If you plant a …

Discover the corpse flower’s remarkable life cycle: from a tiny seed through a decade of underground energy banking to its legendary 48-hour bloom.

Imagine a huge flower that smells so strong that it’s called a “corpse flower.” It’s a rare sight that amazes people all over the world with its size and, shall we say, strong smell. This isn’t your grandmother’s garden rose; this is Amorphophallus titanum, a real giant of the plant world that comes from Sumatra’s steamy rainforests. The largest unbranched …