Corpse flower about to cause big stink this weekend on the Garden Isle

The Garden Isle’s largest and most stinky bloom is expected this weekend at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Lāwaʻi.

Nearly seven years ago, the University of North Carolina’s botanical garden provided seeds from the Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the corpse flower, to the Kauaʻi garden. Ever since, a team has been caring for the growing plant affectionately named Pua Pilo, Hawaiian for “stinky flower.”

The corpse flower, native to the rainforests of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom. It can grow more than 12 feet tall, enabling it to produce one of the largest blooms in the world.

Pua Pilo is expected to reach its full dramatic bloom for the first time this weekend. But the historic moment for Kauaʻi wonʻt last long. The corpse flower bloom only lasts about 24 to 48 hours. 

Lauren Greig, nursery and fern lab manager at the botanical garden, says the flower is “getting bigger and bigger and is nearly 6 feet tall.” During its peak bloom, it will produce an aroma that mimics rotten flesh to attract its pollinators and spread pollen from one flower to another.

“I feel so lucky to particularly experienced this at this organization,” Greig said. “The connection they have across the United States to get this pollen and do this selective breeding is very unique and cutting-edge. It’s really brought a lot of buzz and energy to the garden. It’s so meaningful.”

Greig and her team are estimating the flowerʻs peak bloom by tracking the timeline and measuring the plant’s height and floral development. It is estimated to be at its peak and emit the most odor, as its floral structure creates pollen.

Updates on the botanical gardenʻs Instagram page state that in the last 48 hours, Pua Pilo has grown 3.25 inches, indicating it is steadily approaching bloom.

Peak bloom is estimated to take place between Saturday at 11 p.m. and Sunday at 2 a.m.

“It’s kind of like predicting the weather, each bloom is different, so it could be the day before or the day after,” she said.

In bloom, Pua Pilo’s ʻpedalsʻ open around three feet wide, and is as tall as the person viewing it.

The Sumatra corpse flower has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Endangered due to habitat loss and other pressures. The union estimates fewer than a thousand flowers remain.

During the flowers’ short bloom on Kauaʻi, the team will collect pollen and seeds from Pua Pilo to share with other organizations. This enables the pollen bank to have as much information to effectively match two individual plants.

The Chicago Botanical Garden has introduced a pedigree to assist other botanical gardens throughout the United States, matching the same genes of species that produce the best flowers to cross-breed in hopes of creating an individual with a diverse genetic background.

After this unique bloom, Pua Pilo will begin to wither, and the central spike will collapse. Its underground structure, where it stores most of its energy, will either produce a leaf or a flower every year.

Pua Pilo can bloom again in another two to three years. In 2019, a corpse flower bloomed at Honoluluʻs Foster Botanical Garden, generating so much excitement, the garden extended its operation hours.

Individuals interested in the stench of rotting flesh and celebrating Pua Pilo can sign up for the best of both worlds tour by clicking here.