A sight and smell to behold — and make it double. As the clock ticked on the rare double Titan Arum blooms, crowds lined up at The Huntington to experience the famously pungent Corpse Flowers with all their senses.
“We missed it the other times it bloomed because [The Huntington] was closed; but we’re glad to be here today and it’s even better because it’s double,” 13-year-old plant enthusiast Ollie said. “Even more than the smell, it’s just a really beautiful presence and it’s really large.”
Sibling plants Odorysseus and Odora began blooming Sunday afternoon, a process that takes a Corpse Flower several years, and only lasts up to 48 hours. Odora last bloomed in 2024, while Odorysseus made its public debut after being named with the help of the public through Huntington’s Instagram account: @thehuntingtonlibrary.
“The line itself seems almost twice as long as usual, maybe because we have double the bloom,” Brandon Tam, associate curator of the orchid collection who also oversees the corpse flowers, said. “One is hard enough, but two at a given time makes it even more spectacular.”
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The plants went on public display on July 2 at The Huntington’s Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science.
“People kept asking, ‘when will it bloom?’ And people gave guestimates,” K. F. Pang, volunteer docent and self-described amateur botanist, said. “I think the best way to predict is to see that the growth is slowing down.”
The caretakers measure the daily growth of the Titan Arums, which can reach over 12 feet tall at a rate of as much as six inches per day. However, Odora appeared more petite this time, due to the spadix, the center column, inverting during development.
The endangered species endemic Sumatra, Indonesia, is known for producing an odor resembling rotting flesh to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles. Officials reported the smell peaking around 2 a.m.
“We had a taxidermist in here, and she said it smells just like you would think,” orchid specialist Erik de Leon said. “She even brought in these flesh eating beetles who got enticed.”
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, according to officials.
“The biggest misconception I like to tell people is that this is not an actual flower,” Pang said. “Underneath it, way in the base, are a couple of rows of male and female flowers.”
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.
“I think it’s beautiful that people can all come out and appreciate a piece of nature together – it’s so important now more than ever and to see these magnificent pieces of nature in front of you is totally different from seeing photos online,” attendee Oceanus said. “And there’s so many kids here, too, which is really funny and cute, so hopefully that creates more of an appreciation for our planet and nature.”
While average summer weekday attendance hovers around 2,500 per day, ticket sales had already surpassed 5,700 at the time of opening on Monday.
“The frenzy’s great; when we see people with this level of enthusiasm, it makes us happy that we’re doing this job,” Tam said. “Making this plant accessible is so key; it’s telling the story of conservation behind these plants.”
Visitors can follow the blooms during public hours or online through a livestream at huntington.org/corpse-flower. The Huntington is at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino.
Ellen Wang is an intern with the Southern California News Group through a partnership with the Asian American Journalists Association’s Los Angeles chapter, AAJA/LA.