Get ready. The team at Rockford Park District’s Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens is waiting for “Grimace” to officially bloom again. It’s a titan arum plant, more commonly known as the corpse flower because once in bloom the flower smells like rotting meat or burnt sugar when it opens.
According to a press release, it takes 7 to 20 years for the Titan Arum to first bloom and once the plant blooms it only lasts 24-48 hours.
Staff have noticed that Grimace is still growing taller, but also that the flower is showing more of a deep burgundy color, along with other signs that the flower is getting closer to blooming for a third time.
If you really what to see what the fuss…or stench…is all about, there will be special extended viewing hours when Grimace officially blooms.
There’s also a live feed of Grimace.
Facts about Grimace, the Corpse Flower
• The plant’s Latin name is Amorphophallus titanum
• Grimace is 21 years old and was gifted to the Gardens by Huntington Botanical Gardens in California in 2011
• Grimace last bloomed in July 2021 and August 2018
• The corm was last cleaned, weighed, and repotted on December 22, 2023. At that time, Grimace weighed 58.4 lbs.
• The species was discovered in 1878 by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari
• The flower’s smell helps attract flesh flies and carrion beetles, which pollinate the flower while they look for rotting meat.
• The plant is listed as Vulnerable (V) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature