Corpse Flower Blooming

One of the biggest botanical spectacles is unfolding at NTBG: the blooming of the famed corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum). Our staff have named the plant Pua Pilo, Hawaiian for “stinky flower,” an homage to the putrid scent the species uses to attract its pollinators. Our Conservation Nursery has been lovingly caring for Pua Pilo for over six years and they’ve confirmed its latest growth is forming the signature bloom!

We estimate that the flower will fully open on Saturday, July 19. Once it does, the bloom will only last 24–48 hours.

Visitors can see Pua Pilo on Best of Both Worlds tours at our South Shore Gardens while the bloom lasts. You can also check for daily status updates on our @allertonmcbryde Instagram account.

Conserving the corpse flower: Native to the rainforests of Sumatra, where it’s called bunga bangkai (“corpse flower”), this species produces one of the largest and most dramatic blooms in the world. Sadly, the plant has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Endangered due to habitat loss and other pressures. We are working with researchers who have created a pedigree of many of the corpse flowers currently in botanic garden collections in the United States. This information will be used to ensure genetic diversity among new offspring by cross-pollination of diverse parent plants. Using the information from this pedigree chart, we have requested pollen from Chicago Botanic Garden that is a good match for our corpse flower. We will also collect pollen from our flower to share with other organizations.