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William Paterson University in Wayne has a rare plant that bloomed on July 2, 2016. The University’s College of Science and Health greenhouse is home to a corpse flower, Amorphophallus titanium, a plant that blooms for a short period of time, and sometimes only once every few decades. While in bloom, the plant emits a pungent odor similar to that of a decomposing corpse or rotten meat.
The plant was purchased as a bulb and planted in the greenhouse in 2012 to enhance the University’s collection of plant specimens which support academic courses in the sciences. While it has twice previously sprouted leaves, this will be the first time it blooms.
The corpse flower is an inflorescence, a stalk with multiple flowers, that grows to 10 to 15 feet in height with leaves up to 13 feet wide. The plant was first discovered in Indonesia in the late 1800s, and is native only to tropical areas of Asia. It can warm itself to 98 degrees Fahrenheit and uses its temperature, smell and size to attract carnivorous pollinating insects that will ensure the species’ continued existence. Following its bloom and pollination, the flower collapses. Though not yet endangered, the corpse flower has become increasingly rare due to deforestation and various environmental factors.
