IU’s famous corpse flower, named Wally after the biology department greenhouse’s first supervisor, bloomed Tuesday for the first time since 2020. This flower is special for many reasons.
This plant typically blooms every three years. The plant blooms at night and emits a smell similar to rotten flesh to attract pollinators that lay eggs on dead animals, like carrion beetles and flies. The bloom typically stays open for 24 to 48 hours.
Greenhouse assistant supervisor John Leichter said that they may have the only publicly available corpse flower in the state. The university has had the plant since 2007.
“It’s something no one has ever smelled or seen,” Leichter said. “When it bloomed for me, I never thought I’d get to see one bloom. We’re very fortunate to have it at our university right now.”
The flower is primarily found in Sumatra, Indonesia. After a bloom, the plant will go dormant for four to five months until it is ready to start making new leaves. This year, the plant reached a height of six feet and three inches, surpassing its original bloom height in 2016 by an inch. Corpse plants can grow up to 10 feet tall.
Leichter hopes this plant will inspire visitors to appreciate nature and help to protect and preserve it. The greenhouse will stay open until 9 p.m. Wednesday so visitors can see Wally before the plant closes back up. Updates on the plant can be found on the greenhouse’s Facebook page.