“Spike,” the titan arum or corpse flower set to bloom at Chicago Botanic Garden (Photo/Chicago Botanic Garden)

CHICAGO — The Chicago Botanic Garden has been cultivating titan arum plants (Amorphophallus titanum), also known as a corpse flower, the largest flowering structure in the world. When the flower blooms, which one should be doing in the next 10 days or so, it will put on a memorable show.

The titan arum, native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, is distinguished by its large size, odd shape and terrible stench, hence the “corpse flower” name. The plants only bloom for a single day every 7-10 years, and it is nearly impossible to predict when it will happen. When the bloom finally occurs, a dramatic, blood red flower unfurls from the stem with a nauseating stench that can be detected up to an acre away.

Chicago Botanic Garden’s titan arum, named Spike, is one of nine that has been cultivated behind the scenes in a production greenhouse for the past 12 years. Spike is growing several inches every day, and is expected to bloom sometime in the next 10 days. The plant was moved to the Semitropical Greenhouse to be put on display.

Spike will continue to grow visibly taller each day, looking like a 6 to 8 foot tall flower, but it is actually a spadix (flower structure) wrapped by a spathe (a frilly modified leaf). The spadix will emerge from the top of the bud and continue to grow until it’s time to bloom. Then, for one day, the spathe will unwrap and open to a dark, velvety red bloom, closing up again after roughly 24 hours.

Illustration of a titan arum or corpse flower

Inside the tightly wrapped spathe, the plant uses stored energy from its corm, or bulb, to heat up internally to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. As the spathe opens, 750 small female flowers ringing the bottom of the spadix release scent molecules that are vaporized by the heat, creating a blast of scent that is used to attract pollinators from up to an acre away.

What does it actually smell like? The chemical composition of the scent is a combination of dimethyl trisulfide, isovaleric acid, dimethyl disulfide and trimethylamine – or, as it’s been described, “a combination of limburger cheese, garlic, rotting fish and smelly feet.”

The Chicago Botanic Garden will stay open until 2 a.m. when Spike appears ready to bloom, so that everyone who wishes to experience the event has a chance to take it in. Followers are encouraged to keep up with the event on social media via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr using the hashtag #CBGSpike and the Chicago Botanic Garden’s handle @chicagobotanic.

Source: Chicago Botanic Garden