A rare double blooming of Titan Arum corpse flowers at The Huntington Library in San Marino attracts hundreds of visitors to witness the famously pungent spectacle. The blooms, which occur only once every several years and last just 48 hours, have drawn record crowds.
A rare double bloom ing of the Titan Arum, also known as the corpse flower, has drawn hundreds of visitors to The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
The two sibling plants, named Odorysseus and Odora, began flowering on Sunday afternoon, a process that takes years of cultivation and lasts only 24 to 48 hours. The event is particularly special because it is the first time The Huntington has hosted a simultaneous double bloom. Crowds lined up for hours, braving the intense heat and the flower's notoriously putrid odor, which many compare to rotting garbage or decaying flesh.
Thirteen-year-old Ollie, a passionate plant enthusiast, said, 'We missed it the other times it bloomed because of closures, but we're glad to be here today and it's even better because it's double. Even more than the smell, it's just a really beautiful presence and it's really large.
' The blooms mark the public debut of Odorysseus, which was named through a public contest on The Huntington's Instagram account. Odora last bloomed in 2024, but this year's flower was noticeably smaller due to an inversion of its central spadix during development. The Titan Arum is endemic to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and is listed as endangered. Its characteristic odor, which peaks in the early morning hours, is designed to attract carrion beetles and other pollinators.
The smell is produced by a combination of chemicals including dimethyl trisulfide, which gives off a sulfurous, rotten note. Brandon Tam, associate curator of the orchid collection who oversees the corpse flowers, noted that the line of visitors was almost twice as long as usual.
'One is hard enough, but two at a given time makes it even more spectacular,' he said. The plants have been on public display since July 2 at The Huntington's Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science. Staff members monitor the daily growth of the Titan Arums, which can reach over 12 feet tall and grow as much as six inches per day.
Volunteer docent K. F. Pang, an amateur botanist, explained that the best way to predict blooming is to observe when growth slows down. He also clarified a common misconception: 'The biggest misconception I like to tell people is that this is not an actual flower. Underneath it, way in the base, are a couple of rows of male and female flowers.
' The Huntington maintains one of North America's largest collections of Titan Arums, with more than 43 mature plants. 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. The flowers attract not only the public but also specialists. Orchid specialist Erik de Leon recalled a taxidermist who visited and said the smell was exactly as expected.
She even brought flesh-eating beetles, which were enticed by the aroma. The double bloom has created a unique opportunity for researchers and visitors alike to observe the reproductive biology of this extraordinary plant. As the hours tick by, the flowers' spadices will continue to heat up and release their scent, drawing in pollinators and fascinated onlookers until the bloom collapses. For those who missed it, it may be another 16 years-or more-before a similar event occurs
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Titan Arum 'Corpse Flowers' Bloom at The HuntingtonTwo Titan Arum plants, nicknamed Odorysseus and Odora, have begun blooming at The Huntington in California. The rare spectacle, which occurs every two to three years, releases a powerful odor of rotting flesh to attract pollinators. The blooms will peak early Monday morning and last only 24 to 48 hours. The Huntington maintains one of the largest collections of these endangered plants in North America and works to conserve the species through pollination and sharing plant material with other institutions.
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