Even though corpse flowers bloom every 10 years, the rare occurrence is becoming a summer tradition at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The garden has hosted successful corpse flower blooms over the past two summers (as well as one failed bloom—we'll always remember you, Spike) and it's looking like not one, but two, of the stinky plants will be opening this summer.
Named Java and Sumatra after two islands in the corpse flower's native country of Indonesia, these are the fourth and fifth titan arums (the plant's scientific name) to go on public display at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Visitors will be able to observe the plants while visiting the gardens, but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to see the flowers in bloom because there's no way of accurately predicting when they'll open up. "There are certain indicators that show what’s possibly going to happen, but every plant develops at their own pace," says outdoor floriculturist Tim Pollak.
When the plants bloom, they'll unfurl for just 24 to 36 hours and emit a nauseating smell that's meant to attract the carrion beetles and flesh flies that pollinate the plants in the wild. It's possible that the two corpse flowers might bloom at the same time, which would be an even rarer occurrence than a single bloom.
For the time being, the Chicago Botanic Garden staff is keeping a close eye on the two corpse flowers and tracking their growth. If you want to check in on Java and Sumatra, you can watch the garden's live stream below. And if you simply must know when the flowers bloom, you can also sign up for an email alert.
Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.