The corpse flower at Gustavus Adolphus College, affectionately known as “Perry,” began to open up on Thursday afternoon and is expected to bloom overnight. The public is welcome to visit and experience the unique and revolting smell of the corpse flower on Friday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and again on Saturday, June 4, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no charge to visit the rare flower.
The corpse flower is located in the third floor greenhouse of the College’s Nobel Hall of Science. Signs will be posted near the College’s various entrances to direct visitors to appropriate parking areas.
The corpse flower, also known to botanists as Amorphophallus titanum, is a rare flowering plant that is only found naturally in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. With the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, the corpse flower’s name comes from the repulsive scent it emits in the hours after it blooms.
When Perry produced an inflorescence in May of 2007, more than 7,000 people came to see the rare plant, which was the first of its kind to bloom in the state of Minnesota.
The corpse flower came to Gustavus in 1993, when Professor of Chemistry Brian O’Brien received 20 seeds from a San Francisco physician named James Symon.
For those who cannot make the trip to Saint Peter, more information — including live webcam footage of Perry blooming — is available online at gustavus.edu/perry. Questions about visiting the corpse flower can be directed to the Gustavus Office of Marketing and Communication at 507-933-7520.
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