Stinky corpse flower in San Francisco is now in bloom
Chanel in bloom. Photo courtesy The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.
SAN FRANCISCO - Update: The flower is now in bloom. The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers posted their update on Tuesday at around 4:30 p.m.
Amorphophallus titanum. That's probably not something in your everyday vocabulary, but if you say corpse flower to a San Franciscan, they might be familiar with what you are talking about.
Stinky flower
What we know:
The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers has been talking about this plant on their social media and that's because it's ready to bloom any moment now and what's perhaps more interesting is the pungent, foul odor the flower emits once it is in full bloom.
Corpse flower ready to bloom. Photo courtesy San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.
On Friday, the Conservatory posted that Chanel the Titan Arum's bloom lasts for two-days only. It's a rare sight to see, they say, although we've covered other corpse flower blooms over the years. In 2023, the Conservatory livestreamed a corpse flower named Scarlet, as it was about to bloom.
If you want to watch the livestream for Chanel, you can click through the link here.
Corpse flower ready to bloom. Photo courtesy San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.
Extended hours
The Conservatory of Flowers will be holding special hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for this event in addition to their regular daytime hours, once the flower blooms. The last entry is 8:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, July 9, there will be special daytime and after-hours options. There is free daytime entry for San Francisco residents, veterans and Museums for All participants.
For now, before you get a whiff, you should keep your eyes peeled to the Conservatory of Flowers' social media. That's where they will post on Chanel, as soon as she opens up. You will also be notified if you subscribe to the Conservatory's email newsletters.
Corpse flower in bloom.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve tickets online in advance as they do expect wait times for this event. Limited onsite tickets are available at gggp.org/conservatory-of-flowers/
The corpse flower bloom is an occasional occurrence in the gallery's west end. The plant is native to the steep, tropical rainforest hillsides of Sumatra, Indonesia, according to the Conservatory's website. It is typically 6 to 7 feet tall and can grow up to 15-feet.
In previous coverage, we mentioned that one of the chemicals produced by the corpse flower is also found in Limburger cheese. Other descriptors of the bloom's scent are sweaty feet, or rotting fish.
Featured
Get a whiff: Corpse flower in bloom at San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
The corpse flower on display at San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers began to bloom on Monday just in time for holiday visitors. Special arrangements are being made to keep the conservatory open until 9:30 p.m. to check out this natural, albeit bizarre beauty.