Two rare and smelly Titan Arums, commonly known as corpse flowers, are beginning to bloom at The Huntington in San Marino, the institution announced on its website Sunday.
The plants, nicknamed Odorysseus and Odora, were placed on public display last week in the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science. Odora last bloomed in 2024, while Odorysseus is making its first public appearance, officials said.
Native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, the Titan Arum is known for producing an odor to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles and flies, according to The Huntington. Visitors and botanists have compared the scent to rotten eggs, gym socks and decaying flesh.
Each bloom is expected to last only 24 to 48 hours, officials said.
The endangered species can grow more than 12 feet tall and, at peak development, as much as six inches per day.
“To have one Corpse Flower bloom is special — to have two at the same time is extraordinary,” Nicole Cavender, director of The Huntington’s Botanical Gardens, said in a statement last week. “With each flowering, botanists learn more about this unusual plant, while The Huntington shares with its visitors not only some fascinating new facts but also an increased appreciation for the wonder and diversity of the plant kingdom.”
The Huntington maintains one of North America’s largest collections of Titan Arums, with more than 43 mature plants, officials said.
Since acquiring its first specimen in 1999, the institution has publicly exhibited 29 corpse flower blooms, more than any other institution in the western United States, according to officials.
Botanical collections staff members hand-pollinate the plants during flowering to produce seeds for cultivation and distribution to other botanical gardens. The Huntington said it also shares pollen and underground plant stems with partner institutions as part of efforts to preserve the endangered species and reduce pressure on wild populations.
Visitors can follow the blooms during public hours or online through a livestream at huntington.org/corpse-flower.