Titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum, is nicknamed the corpse flower because of the pungent smell it makes for the couple of days that it flowers. The reek of rotting flesh draws flies to the plant that act as its pollinators. To begin, the plant opens its female flowers and then, a day or so later, its male flowers. A study by Lili Kang and colleagues shows that this switch in flowering is matched by a change in the chemicals it emits.

The Titan arum is a popular flower in botanic gardens. When it flowers, it’s not the biggest flower because a flower is one organ, but its many flowers on one spike make it the largest unbranched inflorescence, so it looks like the biggest flower. Flowering is often a special event.

Initially, the plant needs five to ten years of growing before it first flowers. After that, it was expected to take many more years before it flowered again. However, Copenhagen Botanic Garden has managed to get theirs to bloom every two years. Once it flowers, it is open just a few days before collapsing.