GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The "corpse flower" at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in metro Grand Rapids is expected to bloom for the first time this week.
The bloom will likely happen sometime between Wednesday and Saturday and will last only about a day. Meijer Gardens staff said on Facebook they plan to set up a video livestream leading up to the bloom.
According to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in England, corpse flowers are native to the rainforests of Indonesia. Formally named the Amorphophallus titanum, the flowers bloom only about once a decade. Once they open, they stink like rotting meat, which gives the flower its nickname. The strong smell is meant to attract insects to pollinate the plant.
Meijer Gardens' flower, fondly named Putricia and living in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory, was planted from a seed 18 years ago.
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