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by Deb Shaw
Li’l Stinky decided not to bloom after all, but provided a wonderful dissection opportunity! The Huntington team and the public got to see what’s inside!
We were all disappointed when Li’l Stinker, Amorphophallus titanum, or “Corpse Flower” failed to bloom last week at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. The failed bloom, however, gave Jim Folsom, John Trager, and Brandon Tam the opportunity to dissect the bloom on Facebook Live to create an herbarium sheet (watch the dissection here on Facebook Live.
Then, lo and behold, not one but THREE more Corpse Flowers stepped up to the plate. Quickly dubbed the #TitanTriplets! All three plants, “Stink,” “Stank,” and “Stunk,” #CorpseFlowers can be seen in the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science at The Huntington, along with a corm and a plant with a leaf. Daily updates, photos, and FAQs are being shared on The Huntington’s website.
“Stink” suddenly decided to bloom today! See it during public hours: 10 am – 5 pm. The two other #CorpseFlowers, “Stank,” and “Stunk” look like they have a few more days to go. But who knows…they might change their minds and bloom any time.
For more stinky resources (from The Huntington) #StinkyatTheH:
- Watch: the Botanical team dissect the last Corpse Flower, Li’l Stinker on Facebook Live
- Read: The Secret Life of Stinky
- Read: A Stinky Family Tree
- Watch: Corpse Flower’s 2014 bloom Timelapse
The Corpse Flower inspires creativity. Lindsay Brennan made (delicious!) Corpse Flower Cake Pops and brought them to Jim Folsom’s Orchid Lecture for BAGSC members.
The bloom (and smell) only lasts a day or so. If you’re coming to The Huntington this weekend to see and smell, be sure to stop by the Brody Botanical Center, Flora-Legium Gallery to see “Out of the Woods: Celebrating Trees in Public Gardens,” The Third New York Botanical Garden Triennial, American Society of Botanical Artists, and “Amazing Trees,” the adjunct exhibition by the Botanical Artist Guild of Southern California (BAGSC). BAGSC artists will be on hand all weekend with drop in family activities and botanical art demonstrations. The exhibitions go through to August 27, 2018.
Another view of the chocolate Corpse Flower Cake Pops.
Deborah Shaw (L) and Tania Norris (R) took a few minutes to sketch Li’l Stinky.
BAGSC member Tania Norris with her Li’l Stinky sketch.
by Deb Shaw
Bud of the quickly-growing Amorphophallus titanum, (Titan Arum, or Corpse Flower). Courtesy of The Huntington.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is hosting their fifth bloom of Amorphophallus titanum, the Titan Arum, or “Corpse Flower.” Renowned for its magnificent size and exceptionally foul odor, the Amorphophallus titanum flower can grow to be more than six feet tall, with a diameter of three to four feet.
The Huntington’s first “Big Stinky” bloomed in 1999; since then, they have had three more blooms, in 2002, 2009, and 2010. Native to Sumatra, the flowering of a Amorphophallas titanum is unpredictable and rare; the plant can go for years without blooming. Once the bud opens, the blossom is fleeting, lasting only one to three days.
Experts are now predicting the flower will open sometime around August 20 – 23. (The inflorescence grew 3.5 inches yesterday alone!)
Follow the flower’s progress and learn more about it on The Huntington’s website page, “Stinky 5: Return of the Corpse Flower,” or on The Huntington’s Instagram or Twitter. A video of the original blooming in 1999, narrated by Jim Folsom, is now on Tumblr and YouTube.
A prior bloom of Amorphophallus titanum. The inflorescence can grow to be more than 6 ft tall, with a diameter of 3 – 4 ft across. Photo courtesy of The Huntington.
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