The Amorphophallus titanumin, also known as Titan arums, is commonly called the “corpse flower,” because of the wretched smell it emits when it blooms. Its flower can stand about 10 feet tall and blooms once every six years, or sometimes less frequently.
The Titan Arum plant (Amorphophallus titanum), also known as the corpse flower or stinky plant, is seen in full bloom at the United States Botanic Garden Conservatory in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2013. (Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images)
The University of Wisconsin–Madison reported in 2008 that 157 corpse flower blooms had been recorded since 1889. That study showed a definite uptick in recorded blooms starting in the mid-1990s. For example, 1996 is the first time four blooms were recorded in the same year, although they were spread between Germany and the U.K. In 2007, nine flowers bloomed in the United States within a three-month period.
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