HANOVER, N.H. — A flower that got its nickname from its putrid smell started to bloom Friday at Dartmouth College for the first time since 2011.
Named Morphy, the titan arum – or corpse flower – began opening at Friday afternoon at the Ivy League college’s Life Sciences Greenhouse. The 7½-foot flower is expected to be fully open on Saturday before it starts to collapse on Sunday.
Morphy has a long pointy stalk with a skirt-like covering. It’s green on the outside and deep red on the inside when it opens.
Kim DeLong, the greenhouse manager at Dartmouth, said Morphy was starting to smell like a burning cigar Friday afternoon.
At full strength, its odor has been described as a cross between a decaying animal and urine.
DeLong said she’s planning to pollinate the flower Saturday, using two paintbrushes and tweezers.
The idea is to share seeds and pollen with other conservatories, parks and greenhouses around the world, she said.
Titan arum is native to Sumatra’s equatorial rain forests and is among the most popular flowers when it blooms.
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