Meet Odora, the Corpse Flower Ready to Wreak Havoc on the Huntington

A botanical celebrity is getting ready for its close-up, and you only have a few days to enjoy its fragrant appeal.

The newly named Odora, one of 43 resident corpse flowers at the Huntington Library, Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, was moved to the conservatory on July 10 for public viewing, alongside another specimen – Stankasaurus – in its fruiting phase.

This is the first time that both the flowering and fruiting stages of the plant have been exhibited.

Brandon Tam, associate curator of the Huntington Orchid Collection, predicts the corpse flower, or Titan Arum, will stink up the place by this weekend.

Visitors admire the corpse flower at the Huntington in San Marino, Calif., on Monday, July 15, 2024. Brandon Tram, a botanist at the Huntington, says the flower could bloom by the end of the weekend. The rare flower is named for the pungent aroma it emits when it first blooms. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

“We would like people to understand the typical life cycle of this amazing plant,” he said.

The curious and the brave have only a few days to see and smell this great stinking spectacle. Corpse flowers only bloom for about 24 hours every two or three years. Native to Indonesia, this tropical plant draws crowds every time it blooms, not only for its size and shape, but also for its particular putrefaction.

Tam said the stench was comparable to that of boiled cabbage, a dead rat or a restaurant trash can.

“The smell comes from chemicals like dimethyl trisulfide and dimethyl disulfide,” he explained, chemicals with notes of garlic and overripe cheese.

“The spadix, the part of the plant that looks like a rod, heats up and gives off the scent to attract pollinators, and it’s usually strongest at night and early in the morning,” Tam said. “Plants really have a mind of their own when it comes to ensuring the continuity of their lineage and have gone through many years of evolution.”

Among its unique features: The corpse flower’s small red fruit is toxic to humans but makes a tasty snack for the rhinoceros hornbill. Its red flower, designed to mimic a bloody carcass, attracts pollinators with equally catchy names such as carrion beetles, blowflies and sweat flies.

The experts of the #Huntington Library expect it to be #Corpse Flower will bloom by this weekend. This giant flower is known for its intense, death-like aroma when it first blooms. #thehuntington pic.twitter.com/MS0SvcRJYb

— David Crane (@vidcrane) July 15, 2024

Odora is the Huntington’s 26th corpse flower since 1999. She has successfully cultivated flowers every year since 2018, growing her collection to 43 mature specimens and sharing plants and research with other botanical gardens.

“This is our 25th year of growing corpse flowers, and it’s been a process of trial and error, and experience, really, to learn the best way to propagate and protect this plant,” Tam said.

Every plant is different, Tam said. Odora is a bit of an overachiever. Tam estimates it will grow about 30 more inches before it flowers, or about 6 inches a day.

Stankasaurus Rex is named for its 8-foot height.

Two corpse flowers on display at The Huntington in San Marino, Calif., on Monday, July 15, 2024. The flower on the right bloomed last year and produced seed pods, the flower on the left is expected to bloom by the weekend according to Brandon Tram, a botanist at the Huntington. The rare flower is named for the pungent aroma it emits when it first blooms. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Last year, the flower in bloom was named Allan the Amorphophallus, after Ken’s best friend in the movie “Barbie.”

Huntington’s success with Amorphophallus titanum, growing it in exactly the right tropical conditions of light, water, temperature and humidity, directly impacts the center’s research, education and conservation missions.

Tam calls the corpse flower a “gateway plant” that allows visitors to explore the wonders and diversity of the plant kingdom.

“It’s a completely wild world of discovery,” he said.

Last year, thousands of people visited the plant, eager to smell it for themselves. And The Huntington advises anyone who’s interested in growing their own stinky specimen that yes, you can buy it online, but “this rare plant is for plant enthusiasts who want a challenge and will commit to caring for and pampering this rare and attractive giant for nearly a decade.”

Be forewarned and watch a bloom observation online at huntington.org/corpse-flower.

Originally published: July 15, 2024 at 5:43 p.m.