x
Breaking News
More () »

Hundreds come to UNC Charlotte to sniff corpse flower

The corpse flower, named Rotney the Magnifiscent, began to open Thursday afternoon.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- "It's TIME!!" UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens exclaimed from its Facebook page, as if a woman was going into labor.

A corpse flower, named Rotney the Magnifiscent, began to open in the greenhouse Thursday afternoon. The social media post proclaimed there would be a big bloom -- and smell -- by 5 p.m. that day.

Because of the rare event, the greenhouse extended its hours on Thursday and Friday nights. Hundreds came out to see and sniff the stinky flower. The bloom was expected to close again Friday evening.

According to the university's website, the corpse flower, or Titan Arum, is only found in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia and produce the world’s largest floral structures. The rotting meat odor that comes from the fully open bloom can travel up to a half-mile away. The bloom stays open for only one to two days.

The gardens' other corpse flower, Odie, bloomed in 2015 and was on display next to Rotney. The first Titan Arum plant at the gardens was named Bella. It bloomed in 2007 and 2010.

Click here to learn more about the corpse flower.

Before You Leave, Check This Out