The Huntington Announces Name for Second Corpse Flower About to Bloom

The Huntington on Tuesday revealed the new name of its second corpse flower currently in bloom,  confirming that ‘Odorysseus’ will join Odora as the two rare plants inch closer to blooming.

Both plants continue progressing toward their anticipated bloom cycle.

The Huntington opened public viewing of both plants on July 2, with the exhibit scheduled to run through July 31.

Odora last bloomed in 2024. This will be Odorysseus’ first bloom.

The Huntington exhibited the first Amorphophallus titanum ever to bloom in California in 1999 and now maintains more than 40 plants of the species in its greenhouses and conservatory.

The plant is native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, and is among the rare species The Huntington includes in its broader plant-conservation work. It can grow more than 12 feet tall and, at its peak, as much as six inches in a single day. When it flowers, it releases an odor compared to rotting flesh, a strategy for attracting the carrion beetles and flesh flies that pollinate it in the wild.

Visitors can see both plants during regular hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Monday; The Huntington is closed Tuesdays. Details are available at huntington.org/botanical-gardens/conservatory/corpse-flower.

Huntington officials have not said which of the two plants is likely to bloom first.