Two rare titan arum plants, nicknamed Odora and Odorysseus, bloomed simultaneously at The Huntington Botanical Gardens in Southern California this week [1].
The event is significant because the simultaneous blooming of two corpse flowers is a rare occurrence. These plants are known for their massive size and a pungent odor resembling rotting flesh, which typically draws large crowds of curious observers.
The bloom began on Sunday, July 12 [3], with a fuller view of the flowers available to the public on Monday, July 13 [3]. Located at the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science near Los Angeles, the plants became a focal point for the garden's visitors [1, 2].
Thousands of people visited the conservatory to experience the scent and sight of the two plants [4]. The titan arum is among the largest known flowering structures in the world, though its bloom lasts for only a very short window of time.
Botanists at the facility monitored the progression of the bloom as the plants released their characteristic scent. This odor is designed in nature to attract carrion-eating beetles and flies for pollination, a process that creates the foul smell noted by the crowds [1, 2].
Visitors said they felt a mix of amazement and discomfort due to the intensity of the smell. Despite the stench, the double bloom provided a unique opportunity for the public to see two of these rare specimens in the same stage of development [2].
“Two rare titan arum plants, nicknamed Odora and Odorysseus, bloomed simultaneously”
The simultaneous blooming of two titan arum specimens provides a rare comparative study for botanists and a high-traffic event for the institution. Because these plants bloom infrequently and for a short duration, a double event increases the educational value and public visibility of the species' unique pollination strategy.
