Seattle Courant Archive

Stinky corpse flower in bloom at Volunteer Park

Stinky corpse flower in bloom at Volunteer Park

By Staff
July 29, 2008

The gargantuan plant, whose Latin name is Amorphophallus titanium, has grown to a height of more than 4 feet. Whenever the plant, native to Sumatra, has bloomed at the UW greenhouse, it has attracted large crowds of visitors because of its size and pungent smell.

The skirtlike maroon- and green-spathed blossom of the plant, more commonly known as a corpse flower, doesn't last long. Its stench has been compared to the odor of rotting flesh. Still, a blossoming plant becomes a celebrated event.

You can view and sniff it at the conservatory, at the north end of Volunteer Park, off 15th Avenue East, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.