Putrella the Corpse Flower | City of Edmonton

Putrella (Pew-trella) is a "Giant Corpse Flower" or "Titum Arum", nature's tallest flowering plant. This flower, over 10ft tall when blooming, emits a putrid smell to attract carrion beetle pollinators.

Due to its enormous size, a massive amount of time and energy is needed for a corpse flower to bloom. Because of this, it goes through years of growth and dormancy stages. When the plant has finally stored enough energy, it sends out a bud. Within approximately 6 weeks, the bud has turned into an enormous bloom that will last for only 2-4 days.

The 275 pound tuber arrived at the Muttart in August 2012 and has been growing in its own custom-made flower pot ever since. Putrella has bloomed 3 times since arriving at the Muttart.