Stinky 'corpse flower' expected to bloom in California

A so-called corpse flower known for the rotten stench it releases appeared close to blooming Monday at the Huntington Library in Southern California.

The plant nicknamed "Li'l Stinker" plumped up in the last few days and was likely to bloom Monday or Tuesday, said Brandon Tam, an orchid specialist at the Huntington.

"The problem with these flowers is that it's always hard to tell because they always have a mind of their own, depending on the weather, depending on if it's ready to bloom," Tam said.

The plant got its nickname because at 44 inches tall (112 centimeters) it is smaller than a typical corpse flower, according to the Huntington.

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By Sailing moose - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the titan arum, is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The titan arum's inflorescence is not as large as that of the talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera, but the inflorescence of the talipot palm is branched rather than unbranched.

Due to its odor, which is like the smell of a rotting corpse or carcass, the titan arum is characterized as a carrion flower, and is also known as the corpse flower or corpse plant (Indonesian: bunga bangkai – bunga means flower, while bangkai can be translated as corpse, cadaver, or carrion).

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It can take 15 years for a corpse flower to reach a mature blooming size.

Watch Alice the Amorphophallus titanum or corpse flower bloom in this captivating and astonishing time-lapse video.

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s rare titan arum bloomed and opened over an exciting 24 hour period after growing for more than 11 years