AMES, Iowa — Reiman Gardens in Ames is inviting the public to experience the “dark side of the bloom” when their corpse flower named Stink Floyd blooms in just a couple of weeks.

The Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as the corpse flower, is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom — which means it’s the largest plant with a group of flowers growing from one main stem. The corpse flower is also often described as one of the smelliest plants, as when it’s in bloom it emits a strong odor akin to rotting flesh.

In a post on Facebook, the Reiman Gardens announced that staff are on “bloom watch” as their 10-foot-tall corpse flower is getting ready to bloom. Over the next two weeks or so the Reiman Gardens will be posting updates about the plant on social media.

Corpse flowers don’t have an annual blooming cycle, and their blooms can often be unpredictable, blooming roughly every five to ten years. When a corpse flower blooms it only lasts for about 24 to 36 hours.

On July 25, 2017, a corpse flower at the Des Moines Botanical Garden bloomed. Over 12,000 people visited the botanical garden to see the corpse flower from July 13-31, with over 4,600 visiting on the day the plant finally bloomed.

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