The Return of the Corpse Flower
Four years ago, we had the first bloom of one of the giant titan arums (corpse flower) raised from seed collected in Sumatra in 1995.  The plant was named Trudy by its owner, Bill Weaver. Trudy opened fully on the evening of July 14, 2005 at a height of 5.5 feet. It omitted a strong odor for over 24 hrs and remained "alert" for about four days. Since then, Trudy has been recovering, growing new leaves and replenishing its stores. This spring, the tuber weighed in at 59 lbs, and is now producing its second bloom.  

If you have never seen or experienced one of these blooms - the largest of any plant - it is not to be missed.  If you have seen one, you know it's worth seeing again. While we cannot predict the exact date of opening, based on previous experience, we are "guessing" the flower is likely to open any day now. Trudy is well worth seeing several times during the development of the bud.

Pollen from Trudy was saved and used to pollinate our next bloom, Titania, in 2007. Seedlings from this "mating" (Trudy was the "father") are available for sale. While they do best in a warm, moist greenhouse, they can also be grown in the home. Don't worry, you won't have to experience the stench for many years and in the meantime, the leaf is spectacular. Our plants are about two feet tall and cost $30.