Christen Hoover

Not to be outdone by his “twin” Rotney, the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ other mature titan arum, Odie, is now putting up a flower as well! This will be the second flower for the approximately 12 year old plant, which bloomed for the first time in 2015. Titan arums are renowned for their large size, reaching up to 10 feet tall, and for their terrible scent, which smells like rotting flesh, thus giving the plant one of its nicknames- “corpse flower.”

Blooms normally only last about 24 hours, making it hard for most people to catch the unusual occurrence, and visitors would normally have to wait another 3-5 years to witness another bloom. Thanks to this rare coincidence, they’ll be delighted with a new bloom just weeks after Rotney’s display.

Many visitors that came to view Rotney in full bloom noticed that Odie had developed a bud. At that time, the staff was unsure if the bud would become a flower, or develop into the more common leaf cycle. We are now 100% certain that the bud is a flower structure. We expect the plant to bloom in late May.

This unusual phenomenon is expected to draw thousands of visitors over a 2 day period to the McMillan Greenhouse and UNCC Botanical Gardens, where admission is always free. A live webcam will be available as we get closer to the big event!

For more information about Titan Arums, click here. For more information about the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, click here. To keep up with this Titan’s progress, follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Parking note for visitors: Parking on campus is available on the weekdays in the specially marked Greenhouse spots across from the Greenhouse, with a tag from the parking office, or there is paid parking in the East Deck 1. Weekend parking is available in any unmarked spot on campus.

On May 2nd, 2018, in the midst of “Rotney Mania,” the Botanical Gardens partnered with the UNC Charlotte Music Department to bring Music in the Gardens to the community. 

A string quartet played in the gazebo in the Susie Harwood Garden, while guests from the University and the community relaxed and enjoyed their lunches in the idyllic setting. 

Pictures below from Jeff Gillman, Botanical Gardens Director.