WHAT: Rare “corpse plant” set to bloom this week at Cornell University greenhouse
WHEN: Experts expect the plant to bloom within a week
WHERE: Ken Post greenhouse on the Cornell University campus
NOTE: Stock photographs are available. To arrange interviews, visits to the bloom, or to obtain a photograph, contact Joe Schwartz at the Cornell Press Relations Office, (607) 254-6235, or Joe.Schwartz@cornelledu; and Ellen Leventry at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, (607) 255-2722 or [email protected]
ITHACA, N.Y. – The extremely rare titan arum — also called the corpse plant — is expected to bloom in a Cornell University greenhouse this week. If the plant blooms, it will be one of approximately 140 such cultivated blooms recorded in history. Titan arum — Amorphophallus titanum — also known as the “corpse plant” or “corpse flower” is as rare as it is malodorous. It grows in the wild only in the rainforests of Sumatra and rarely blooms in cultivation. The flower — more technically, the inflorescence — of the titan can reach three meters or more in height. When it does bloom, the flower emits a powerful odor that smells exactly like rotting meat. In the wild, the odor and deep purple color of the bloom entice insects to visit the plant and pollinate it. A titan bloom lasts only a few days and then dies back as the plant becomes dormant.
Cornell is opening the greenhouse to visitors for this historic bloom from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. beginning Tuesday, March 13 until the bloom is complete. Large group visits from schools should be scheduled in advance.
Contact: Joe SchwartzPhone: (607) 254-6235E-Mail: [email protected]
Contact: Ellen LeventryPhone: (607) 255-2722Email: [email protected]
Contact Joe Schwartz for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
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