Washington State University's corpse flower set for rare third bloom

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Washington State University's corpse flower, named Titan VanCoug, is on the verge of a rare third bloom and is expected to bring its "pungent" aroma that's previously attracted thousands of visitors, WSU announced Thursday.

The bloom will mark the plant’s third “odorous emergence” in three years, WSU said in a blog announcing the pending bloom, noting the frequency of its flowering is exceedingly rare.

According to WSU, Titan VanCoug could be making up for lost time.

“WSU’s plant was a relative late bloomer; while most corpse flowers flower within 7–10 years of germination, it took Titan VanCoug 17 years to do so,” WSU said.

The school added that it’s more likely that the plant isn’t just one, but rather as many as four cohabitating in the same pot.

Titan VanCoug Livestream

“We don’t know what’s going on under the dirt,” said Dawn Freeman, who took over care for Titan in 2020. “I was hoping to get in and find out this summer, but because we keep having blooms, so I’ve had to wait to ensure I’m not disturbing things.”

Titan VanCoug was first planted in 2002 by Steve Sylvester, an emeritus professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. According to WSU, as the plant grew, it moved from Sylvester’s desk to his office floor, then down the hall to accommodate its “towering” leaf stalks.

After a corpse flower germinates, it sprouts a single leaf growing around six inches tall. The leaf stalk dies back every year and after six months of dormancy, a new leaf shoot emerges and grows larger each cycle until it stands upwards of eight feet tall, according to WSU.

After several years, a bud emerges, and once bloomed, “the odor quickly becomes palpable, the smell often compared to rotting flesh, stinky socks or overpowering garlic,” WSU said, noting each plant’s odor varies depending on the levels of chemical compounds of the plant.

Titan VanCoug first bloomed in July 2019, bringing an estimated 20,000 visitors to the Vancouver campus.

The next year, the plant went into dormancy before blooming again in 2022.