FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A stinky flower in Colorado bloomed this past weekend for the first time in its life.
After seven years of care at the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Conservatory at Colorado State University, a rare corpse flower bloomed Saturday. By Monday evening, the bloom had closed.
University officials said the plant, which can grow up to 8 feet tall, releases a corpse-like smell during bloom. The smell aims to lure pollinators like carrion beetles and flies. The stinky flowers are at the base of the plant.
"They smell like rotting flesh is what I've been told," CSU Plant Growth Facilities Manager Tammy Brenner said. "I personally haven't smelled it yet. And the purpose of that is to mimic a dead animal in the wild. So it wants to attract the carrion beetles and the decaying insects so they can get pollinated."
When the bloom first happens, Cosmo emits an odor that has been compared to the smell of decaying flesh. This odor becomes less pronounced after the first 12-24 hours, and the bloom itself only lasts for around two to three days.
Corpse flower at CSU
How to see the corpse flower
The public will be able to view the flower from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., each day it's in bloom, at the CSU Plant Growth Facility Conservatory at 1241 Libbie Coy Way, in Fort Collins. Visitors should be prepared to wait in line.
Corpse flower visitors will be able to park in the South College Avenue Garage at 121 W. Pitkin St.
The corpse flower, or Amorphophallus titanum, was brought to the Fort Collins campus during a plant swap and named Cosmo in 2016.
“At the end of the day, plants are still unpredictable, but with the data we have, we’re eagerly awaiting the bloom,” Brenner said.
Brenner said she has been in contact with colleagues from across the country about what to expect.
CSU expects people from around the community to pay Cosmo a visit while he’s in full bloom.
Other corpse flower blooms at places like the Denver Botanic Gardens have attracted large crowds.
“This is a rare occasion and a big deal because it will be the first bloom for the corpse flower here at CSU,” Brenner said.
Cosmo’s "parents," Maudine and Woody, both came from Ohio State University and were "born" on May 24, 2013.
“Cosmo came out of dormancy around three weeks ago, and we didn’t expect anything exciting,” Brenner said. “But then two weeks ago, it started looking a little bit more full, a little bit more plump. It started growing and shooting out stalks, and we realized something really big was about to happen.”
Throughout the year, the corpse flower produces a giant stem-like structure and a leaf but goes dormant in the fall when students return to campus from summer break.
“It looks a little sad, so we usually hide it in the back so no one thinks we’re killing it,” Brenner said.
CSU has a few researchers taking advantage of this rare opportunity. They're weighing Cosmo to find out how much weight it gains, and they've aimed a thermal camera at it to see how much energy the plant generates while blooming.
"Rumor has it, based on some data we've pulled up, it can reach about 90 degrees in the center of the plant," Brenner said.
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