Western Illinois University’s greenhouse has a rare flower called the “Titan Arum” that is currently in bloom. The Titan Arum is also known as the “Corpse Flower” due to the rotten smell that the flower omits. Despite the unpleasant smell, the flower itself is quite the spectacle and can grow to be taller than the average human.
Jeff Hillyer, the manager of the WIU greenhouse, says while the Titan Arum is special, it is not the only rare flower on campus. “I don’t know about the Titans being the only rare plants in the greenhouse. I would think the Welwitshia we have are if not rare, at least unusual. We have unusual plants like vanilla orchid and cacao to name a couple. They may not be rare, but unique because of how we use them. They are something that you normally do not come across except in places like the Botany Greenhouse,” Hillyer said.
Hillyer continued to talk about the Titan Arum. “My best guess for the Titan to fully open is around next Wednesday, May 5. It may be sooner, it may be later. I really will not know until it actually opens. I’m just fortunate to be along for the ride. What makes the Titan Arum such a spectacle? Several things: there have only been around 160 recorded blooming events of this plant in cultivation since it was first discovered in the 1800’s. It produces the largest inflorescence in the world (wild ones) and produces an odor of a corpse to draw pollinators. When it is in vegetative state, it only produces one leaf at a time; in the wild it can reach upwards of 20 feet!” Hillyer said.
WIU’s Titan Arum will not reach 20 feet since it is not being grown in the wild, but it will still reach almost 10 feet in height. This is one of only a few Corpse Flowers to bloom in cultivation and in the United States. To give you an idea of how rare of a sight it is, the bloom of a Corpse Flower at the University of Wisconsin-Madison drew over 30,000 visitors.
If you want to see something that you may only have one chance to ever see (or smell), then visit the WIU greenhouse and check out the Corpse Flower. To follow the progression of the corpse flower, or anything else in the greenhouse, you can follow Jeff Hillyer’s blog by clicking here.
David
