Screengrab from Missouri Botanical Gardens / Facebook Live
Octavia the corpse flower is ready to put on a (smelly) show.
Octavia the corpse flower has started to bloom at long last.
The Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard, 314-577-5100) announced this morning that the resident corpse flower will bloom today. The garden has been hosting a livestream in anticipation of the flower's bloom.
Corpse flowers typically bloom anywhere from 24 to 36 hours. Garden officials expect Octavia to bloom for 24 hours. The flowers are known for their unpleasant smell that comes from their flower spikes — similar to a rotting corpse.
Visitors can see — and smell — Octavia during regular business hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or purchase tickets to Origami After Hours from 6 to 9 p.m. The blooming period typically peaks after dark.
Octavia resides in the Climatron and stands at about 87 inches. The flower first bloomed in 2012. Its most recent attempt was in July of 2019, but it failed to bloom.
Visit missouribotanicalgarden.org for more information on the corpse flower or to purchase tickets to Origami After Hours to see the flower bloom tonight.
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