Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockford is expecting a rare sight. Their Titan Arum, or corpse flower, will bloom soon.
Dan Erwin is the horticulture supervisor at the conservatory. He says the plant is unique because it only blooms every 10 to 20 years and because of its unusual smell.
Erwin says, "they’ve actually broken the compounds down in it, and there’s some of the same things that you would smell if you were smelling dead fish, if you were smelling burnt sugar, if you were smelling rotten meat, and if you were smelling smelly gym socks.”
Erwin explains the plant may bloom within the next 7 to 14 days. When it blooms, the conservatory will choose a name for it.
“For a conservatory this is like a baby that you wait to have for 15 to 20 years,” he says.
People interested in seeing, and smelling, this unique flower can check the conservatory’s social media accounts for updates.