SEATTLE — Attendance is growing at the Volunteer Park Conservatory as people flock to see and smell a giant “corpse lily” that will bloom soon.
The Amorphophallus titanium is on loan from the University of Washington Biology Greenhouse, and is expected to bloom at the end of August.
The corpse lily, native to the equatorial rain forests of Sumatra, is one of the world’s largest and can grow up to six feet tall. The nickname refers to its powerful stench, likened to that of rotting flesh, which occurs when the flower blooms.
Corpse lilies typically bloom every six or seven years, but for some reason many are blooming across the country at the same time right now.
Seattle Parks and Recreation will post photos and updates
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The Volunteer Park Conservatory is at 1400 E. Galer St., at the north end of Volunteer Park. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there is a $4 admission charge ($2 for ages 13-17; free for kids 12 and younger).