Third Titan arum expected to bloom

A third Titan arum, or corpse flower, is expected to bloom sometime this week at Birge Hall.

This one, nicknamed “Little Stinker,” is on display in the first-floor lobby 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. As of Wednesday, July 28, it had reached a height of 4 feet 9.5 inches.

The two Titans that bloomed in the summers of 2001 and 2002 were in the Botany Department greenhouse in Birge Hall. The early bloomer reached a height of 8 feet 5 inches and attracted more than 20,000 visitors. The second was 5 feet 8 inches tall and drew a smaller crowd.

Many of those coming to see the third plant are making a return trip, and others are viewing it for the first time. Many visitors, when the plant opens, hope to get a whiff of its odor that is a cross between rotting flesh and burnt sugar.

Read the latest news on the 2004 Titan arum.