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Media advisory: Corpse flower to bloom this weekend at Eastern

Willimantic, CT (08/27/2026) — One of the world's most peculiar plants is about to make its triennial resurrection at Eastern Connecticut State University. Corpse flowers (Amorphophallus titanium) are notorious for their noxious odor and massive, short-lived blooms, and one may open in the Eastern greenhouse this weekend, according to Biology Professor Bryan Connolly.

Connolly will open the greenhouse during the elusive, stinky bloom, which comes only once every few years and lasts just a couple of days before it withers back into the soil.

  • Visit the Biology Department's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ecsubiology/) for updates and greenhouse visitation hours, located in the David G Carter Science Building.
  • Campus map for directions/parking: https://www.easternct.edu/maps/index.html
  • Contact: Bryan Connolly, biology professor: Connollyb@easternct.edu

Corpse flower is the world's largest unbranched inflorescence - a group of flowers arranged on a stem - and can reach heights up to 12 feet tall. Its first bloom may take up to 10 years and last just a few days, while later blooms may occur every two or three years.

Eastern's greenhouse contains upwards of 10 individuals, each resurrecting on its own accord. One spectacular and putrid bloom in 2024 included two corpse flowers at the same time and attracted hundreds of visitors, some who even flew from across the country to witness the rare event.

  • Double blooming corpse flower: https://www.easternct.edu/news/_storiesand-releases/2024/06-june/anthophiles-swarm-greenhouse-for-rare-double-blooming-corpse-flower.html

Corpse flowers are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The plant reeks of feces and rotting fish to attract pollinators that normally feed and lay eggs on dead animals, according to Connolly.

Because they are rare in the wild, with only approximately 1,000 individuals in their native habitat-the species is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature-the flowers' powerful odor is necessary to facilitate cross-pollination between plants that may be miles apart.

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

Media Attachments

Two corpse flowers bloom simultaneously in June 2024.

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