What’s that smell? Rare ‘corpse flower’ blooming at NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. — There’s something special growing in Raleigh for flower fans, just don’t stop to smell this one.

A rare titan arum flower, also known as the corpse flower, is expected to bloom this week at North Carolina State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum. The flower is notorious for its noxious smell, which has been described as smelling like rotten flesh.

According to our partners at ABC 11, the corpse flower started off as a dormant corm given to Plant Conservatory Curator Diane Mays in 2017. Mays named the corpse flower Wolfgang, after the NC State Wolfpack.

Researchers say the titan arum goes through years of vegetative growth before blooming for the first time, with some plants taking up to 10 years to finally bloom. Once a flower blooms for the first time, it’s possible for it to bloom every other year. When the blooming starts, the main spathe gradually opens over a day, and that’s when the smell is released.

Scientists with the American Chemical Society have done an analysis of the chemicals released by the flower, and they’ve found chemicals that are present in things like Limburger cheese, garlic, rotting fish, and even sweaty socks.

UNC Charlotte’s Botanical Gardens had its own corpse flower bloom back in 2018, and the giant plant attracted crowds who wanted to sniff for themselves.

SEE MORE: ‘Corpse' flower blooming at UNC Charlotte

According to ABC 11, Wolfgang the flower could bloom Monday or Tuesday.

You can watch a live stream of NC State’s corpse flower in the video below.