A deathly smelling Titan Arum, or corpse flower, is expected to be in bloom this weekend at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas.
The plant will be on public display in the Bamboo Garden area during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
“If there is any plant that creates a stir when in flower, it certainly is the Titan Arum,” said Julian Duval, president and CEO of the garden. “Yes, it stinks. But it is also other-worldly beautiful.”
Due to its odor, which smells like a rotting corpse or carcass, the Titan Arum is characterized as a carrion flower. The plant grows in the rain forests of Sumatra.
There is some uncertainty about exactly when it will bloom, but it is expected Saturday or Sunday, and will only emit its unique stench for two days.
The flower is currently growing 3 inches per day prior to blooming.
The plant on display is on loan from California State University Fullerton, where it was grown from seed planted this year.