New York State In-depth

‘Corpse flower’ blooms at ESF: A first-time phenomenon in Syracuse

Syracuse, NY – After nearly five years of waiting, the first “corpse flower” bloomed this week in the hot, humid greenhouses at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The bizarre plant, which produces its signature stink to lure pollinators such as flies and carrion beetles, blooms every five years or so, and lasts for just a day or two before the whole 4-foot high, 3-foot-wide flowering structure collapses into itself.

“Through eons of evolution, these plants have gradually adapted these traits to be able to persist,” marveled Terry Ettinger, the greenhouse manager. “It gives us the opportunity to just sort of sit back and ponder how nature has got all of this stuff figured out.”

The plant produces one of the largest flower heads in the plant kingdom.

ESF got four potato-like tubers five years ago, and planted them in pots in the greenhouse on top of Illick Hall, across the street from Syracuse University’s JMA Wireless Dome. Every 12 to 18 months, the plant produces a tall, palm-like stalk that soaks up sunlight and, through photosynthesis, stores energy in the ever-growing tuber. Those stalks can grow to 10 feet high, Ettinger said.

Then, on a timetable that remains a mystery to science, the plant uses those stored-up carbohydrates to do the energy-intensive work of producing the flower structure. Ettinger said the tuber needs to weigh 30 to 40 pounds before it holds enough stored energy for the plant to produce the showy flower structure.

“We didn’t even really know if this was a flower or not until probably about 10 days ago, because the flower bud and leaf structure look pretty similar as they’re emerging,” said Ettinger, who hosted a gardening talk show on local radio and television for 30 years.

The “corpse flower” makes its first bloom in Syracuse at the rooftop greenhouses at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The tuber was brought to ESF from Ohio State University five years ago. N.Scott Trimble | [email protected]

This flower looks different from a lily or tulip, with silky petals that open to reveal pollen and nectar for pollinators. The flowering structure of the “corpse plant,” whose scientific name is Amorphophallus titanum, has two parts.

“There’s the spadix, the central, sort of phallic part of the flower, and then the spathe, which is a sort of a spreading, reddish fringed structure,” Ettinger said.

That fringed structure, which resembles a wrinkled cape draped around the spadix, hides the actual flowers, which are small and difficult to see. The plant’s garbage-like odor can travel a half-mile, attracting flies and beetles that pick up pollen and carry it to other plants.

The corpse flower is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where it grows on steep, rain forest hillsides. They became known to Western science in the late 1800s when a specimen was brought to the famous Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, in London. The 1926 bloom drew so many people that police had to be called, according to the Kew site.

The plant is considered endangered in Sumatra because of human development and habitat loss, but it’s common in greenhouses and botanical gardens because it’s unique and fairly easy to grow, Ettinger said.

ESF’s tubers, which came from Ohio State University, were the size of softballs when they arrived. The fast-growing tubers are now over a foot in diameter and weigh 30 pounds.

“We just need to keep putting them in bigger pots, and we’re now to the point where we’ve gotten just about as big of pot as we could find,” he said. “Now we’re going to probably have to build some sort of box.”

There’s little in-depth research on the plant, Ettinger said. Because it takes up so much room and blooms so infrequently, he said, it requires a lot of space and time to study regularly.

The ESF greenhouses are cramped, so the bloom isn’t open to the public. The Buffalo Botanical Gardens has one blooming this week and has added extra hours to accommodate visitors.

At ESF, there has been a steady stream of faculty and students making their way to the rooftop greenhouse for a look and a whiff. Some visitors have told Ettinger the flower would be a cool house plant.

Hey disagrees.

“Think about the smell of roadkill in your living room,” he said. “That wouldn’t be very pleasant.”

Reeking 'corpse flower' blooms at ESF

The “corpse flower” makes its first bloom in Syracuse at the rooftop greenhouses at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The tuber was brought to ESF from Ohio State University five years ago. N.Scott Trimble | [email protected]

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