Just in time for Halloween, a flower named after rotting flesh is on view at the UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley. But not for very long. The “corpse flower” — actually an “inflorescence” of many flowers around a stalk — only stays opens for a day or two.
Many garden-goers visited the corpse flower, or “titan arum,” Thursday morning, eager to catch the plant, named Maladora, in its full but fleeting glory. They shared their impressions of the distinctive scent, which attracts pollinators, with Berkeleyside. See the video above.
Several corpse flowers have bloomed at the garden since 2005. The staff received titan arum seeds from the Indonesian island of Sumatra in 1995.
The UC Botanical Garden, at 200 Centennial Dr., is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
