It’s Stinky and It’s Back: GVSU’s Corpse Flower Blooms Early, Smell It This Week ONLY

Flowers are a universal sign of sweetness; we give them to show love and appreciation, they add a splash of color wherever they are, and they smell so good. That is not the case with the Titan arum, aka the corpse flower, the flower that smells like rotting flesh when it blooms. Thankfully, this massive flower blooms only every 7 years and stays in bloom for just one week.

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Well, most of the time. For some reason, the corpse flower at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) is blooming for the second time in two years, and the university is inviting the public to get a whiff of this abhorrent, albeit unique, scent.

Photo by Gabrielle Hensch on Unsplash

GVSU's Corpse Flower Blooms Early

In a Facebook post, GVSU revealed its corpse flower was blooming early and that anyone could come see the plant. The curious thing about this plant is its bloom cycle. It sits dormant for nearly 7 years before blooming for the first time and blooms for a week.

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It stays in full bloom for about 24 hours before it withers away, then takes 2-7 years to bloom again. This specific flower bloomed for the first time in 2022, then (to the shock of greenhouse supervisor Christina Hipshier) in 2024, and now that it has bloomed again two years later, Hipshier believes this is "now an established pattern", which is great for a curious public.

How To View The Corpse Plant At Grand Valley

If you want to see this unique specimen, head to the Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse in the Kindschi Hall of Science on the Allendale campus, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The plant will be at full bloom (and it's stinkiest) later in the week, so keep an eye on GVSU's social media pages so you don't miss it. Free parking is also available at Parking Services (11106 Service Drive).

Why Does It Smell So Bad?

The corpse flower is known as much for its size as for its smell. That awful smell serves a crucial purpose for the flower. According to the United States Botanic Garden, the rotting smell is meant to lure in "corpse-attracted pollinators, such a carrion beetles and flies" to pollinate the plant.

Pollination is important for any plant, but since this plant blooms for such a short time, it needs to attract as many pollinators as possible; being really stinky is a great way to do that.