Alan Chryst has been carefully nurturing one plant for 11 years.

“I think of this as my baby,” said Chryst, the Greenhouse Manager at Rollins College in Winter Park.

All of that work has been building for what will happen in the next few days.



“I knew in the back of my mind it would be worth it when this plant blooms, because of the attention it would bring,” said Chryst.



The plant is scientifically called Amorphophallus titanum, but it’s better known as a corpse plant because of the pungent odor it’s bloom gives off.



“The pollinators in its native habitat of Sumatra are flies and beetles that are attracted to this smell,” explained Chryst.



Corpse plants only bloom once every 10 to 12 years. Only about 200 have bloomed in cultivation since the 1800s. And the one at the Rollins College greenhouse is about to open up at any minute.



“This is going to unfurl, and it’s probably going to open up to about two to three feet in diameter,” said Chryst.



If you can’t actually make it to the greenhouse to check out the blooming of the corpse plant, don’t worry. You’ll still be able to witness it. Rollins College set up a live feed online that should catch every moment of the blooming process.



“People come up to me. They now have this web cam on their desktop – they watch it all the time,” said Chryst.



There’s one problem. The live feed doesn’t have smell-o-vision. Chryst says that’s why some people will want to physically come to the greenhouse in the coming days to get the entire experience – even the nasty odor the corpse plant’s bloom should will give off. Chryst says he’s now getting lots of visitors to the greenhouse. In fact, he’s lined up crowd control and has “don’t touch” signs in place for when he expects to have lines of people when the blooming process starts.

Stevie Kowalchuk’s family stopped by the greenhouse to see what all the buzz was about. Kowalchuk was born about the same time Chryst began growing the corpse plant 11 years ago.



“It’s an amazing plant. I can’t believe it takes 11 years to grow,” said Kowalchuk, who plans to report his experience back to his class at school.



And now he, and many others, are poised to witness a unique spectacle of mother nature.



“This is probably the pinnacle of my career. I feel that this plant is bringing attention to the greenhouse that it has never gotten before,” said Chryst.



You can check out the corpse plant via the Rollins College Greenhouse Cam.

