Giant Corpse Flower Draws Visitors to Galveston

"It smells like a dead body!"

A rare flower with a strange scent is about to bloom in Galveston.

The giant corpse flower has taken up residence in the rain forest at the Moody Gardens.

This is the second time the flower has made an appearance there, but it is still bringing in just as many curious visitors.

The giant corpse flower, named Morticia, gets its name from the smell it puts off during flowering. Some say it smells like a dead body while others liken the strong odor to the smell of rotting flesh.

"I've heard about how bad they smell but I was just told that they smell like a corpse, like something that was rotting," said visitor Jim Crosby. "I don't imagine I want to be around when it blooms!"

That stink attracts pollinators and in Galveston, it's also attracting a crowd.

"There's only a little over 100 that have ever bloomed in the U.S." said Donnita Brannon, horticulture exhibit manager at Moody Gardens. "This is our second bloom, it's exciting the first time, it's absolutely thrilling the second time. It's a once in a lifetime experience, not something you see every day."

The corpse flower can take two to ten years to bloom, if ever. This one could reach full bloom and full stink in just a week to ten days.

Moody Gardens plans to stay open for extended hours once it happens, but the smell will reach beyond the glass pyramid!

"God is very creative, if he can create something like that," said visitor Linda Livers, but she says she won't return for the full stink. "No, that's okay, I can smell her!"

The worst smell will be the first night Morticia blooms and will continue for three days.

To see the corpse flower on the Rainforest Web Cam inside the Moody Gardens CLICK HERE.

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