You can smell the excitement in the air. …Well, we think that’s excitement people are smelling.

The anticipation is about a rare Corpse Flower growing at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. The staff there is keeping watch for the unusually-named plant to bloom, which is a rare – and stinky – occurrence.

The Corpse Flower is formally known as Amorphophallus titanum or Titan Arum and is native to the equatorial rainforests of Sumatra. It can grow to more than 6 feet tall when it blooms and opens to a diameter of 3-4 feet. What makes it unique – and gives it its eerie name – is when it blooms it has an extremely foul odor akin to a mound of rotting meat. This scent is used to attract its pollinator, sweat bees.

Visitors are welcome to see the Corpse Flower in the Conservatory at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. (Photo courtesy of The Huntington).

A visitor from Mexico takes a photo of the Corpse Flower readying to bloom at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. (Photo courtesy of The Huntington).

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A Corpse Flower is readying to bloom at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. (Photo courtesy of The Huntington).



The Huntington has seen only five Corpse Flower blooms. The first was in 1999 and the most recent was in August 2014. The blooms lasted 1-3 days and people came from around the world to see and smell them.

Titan Arum grows quickly skyward until the plant blooms. The Corpse Flower currently on watch has been nicknamed Lil’ Stinker, as it has only reached a mere 39” in height today, July 27, growing only one inch since yesterday.

Visitors are welcome to see the Corpse Flower in the Huntington’s Conservatory. It is due to bloom any time and you may follow its progress through updates posted on the venue’s website, www.huntington.org, and Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/thehuntington.

If you want to see the Corpse Flower

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Monday.

Where: Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino.

Tickets: Weekdays $25 adults, $21 seniors and students, $13 youth 4-11 and free for children under 4 and weekends $29 adults, $24 seniors and students, $13 youth 4-11 and free for children under 4.

Information: 626-405-2100, www.huntington.org.