Can you feel the anticipation in the air? Or, perhaps you can smell it. Prepare thy nostrils, citizens, for the day of the corpse flower is nigh at hand.
Two titan arums, commonly known as “corpse flowers,” are expected to bloom sometime this week at the Ohio State University Biological Sciences Greenhouse. Upon blooming, the titan arums, among the largest flowers in the world, will release a smell mimicking that of rotting flesh.
Titan arums grow naturally in the tropical climate of Indonesia and Sumatra. OSU started growing them in the Biological Sciences Greenhouse in 2001, and the flowers have successfully bloomed at OSU five times since 2011. Traditionally, every titan alum specimen is given a name, and OSU’s corpse flowers have been named Woody, Jesse, Maudine and Scarlet.
The blooming of a titan arum is a short, rare, dramatic event. Crowds often gather at greenhouses for the opportunity to see and smell the botanical spectacle. Unfortunately, the OSU Biological Sciences Greenhouse is closed until Autumn Semester 2018, so this particular corpse flower wake will have to be closed-casket.
I know what you’re thinking; “Is there a livestream?” Of course there’s a livestream.
So buckle up, Columbus, refresh your browser and make some popcorn. #CorpseFlowerWatch2018 starts right now.