If you happen to smell something funky on NC State’s campus today, no need to worry… it’s just Wolfgang!
As reported by ABC11, Wolfgang is the university’s newest Titan arum plant, also known as the Corpse Flower, and it’s blooming at the JC Raulston Arboretum this week.
The Titan arum is one of the biggest (and stinkiest) flowers in the plant kingdom. It earns the nickname “Corpse Flower” due to many people describing its odor as smelling like rotting flesh.
The plant, in its infancy, was given to Plant Conservatory Curator Diane Mays in 2017. It was a gift from Ohio State University’s Biological Science Department.
Mays gave the plant its name, Wolfgang, in honor of the school’s athletic teams known as the Wolfpack.
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According to ABC11, titan arums take at least seven years for the first bloom. After that, the plant goes dormant and move through leaf cycles until it gets enough energy to rebloom. As it blooms, it heats up to spread its pungent smell so that it attracts bugs to aid pollination.
As for that smell, no worries: It only lasts about 24 hours.
To see (and smell) Wolfgang for yourself, the JC Raulston Arboretum is offering extended hours for public viewing, from 8:30 am to 7 pm during its blooming. For those who can’t make it in person, you can watch the webcam provided by the Department of Horticultural Science here!
