A corpse flower at Colorado State University is set to bloom for the first time after eight years.
“We’ve had this corpse flower, his name is Cosmo,” said Tammy Brenner, the plant growth facilities manager at Colorado State University.
“Right now, he’s probably about 6 feet tall. He's a large and very unique structure so it's a little curious for most people. I couldn't imagine walking into its native habitat in the rainforest and suddenly seeing this plant. I’d be afraid of it,” she said.
The corpse flower, or Amorphophallus titanum, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“There’s only about 1,000ish, from what I can find, of him remaining in the wild. Through conservation efforts we have many botanical gardens and other institutions have small collections of them,” Brenner said.
@scrippsnews This isn’t something you see every day! This rare corpse flower in Colorado is set to bloom over the weekend — and you can watch it on a livestream. This is the first time this plant is blooming after 8 years. #corpseflower #nature #new #endangeredspecies ♬ original sound - Scripps News
With how few there are and how rarely they bloom, this isn’t a common sight.
“Cosmo has been growing about six, seven, eight inches a day. Which is crazy for a plant,” she said.
Colorado State University wants to share this experience with the public. The university has added a livestream, so anyone can watch the plant bloom. The greenhouse in Colorado is also open for visitors during certain hours.
Cosmo is predicted to bloom over the Memorial Day weekend. Brenner predicts it will bloom on Sunday or Monday.
When it does bloom, it will smell horrible.
“Through evolution, somehow, it decided to smell like rotting flesh so it can attract pollinators,” she said.
