Baby Corpse Flower Blooms for First Time at Meise Botanical Garden
A baby giant arum lily — also known as the corpse flower — has bloomed for the first time at Plantentuin Meise (Meise Botanical Garden) in Belgium, marking a significant horticultural milestone. The specimen, standing just 121 centimeters (approximately 4 feet) tall, is the result of a successful pollination experiment conducted in 2017 and represents the garden’s first plant grown entirely from its own stock, according to VRT NWS.
A Rare Achievement in Cultivation
“It is the first time that we in Plantentuin Meise have successfully completed the full cycle, from pollination to a full inflorescence,” said Koen Es, spokesperson for the botanical garden. “It is the first specimen from our own cultivation and that makes it very special.”
The journey began in April 2017, when two giant arum lilies coincidentally bloomed simultaneously at the garden. Gardeners seized the opportunity to conduct a cross-pollination experiment, using pollen from one specimen combined with pollen from a plant at the Ghent Botanical Garden. The effort produced approximately 50 seedlings, and nearly nine years later, one of those “babies” has flowered for the first time.
The 22nd Bloom in Garden History
This is the 22nd giant arum lily to bloom at Plantentuin Meise since the first one in 2008, which attracted over 8,000 visitors in just a few days. The garden now maintains five healthy adult specimens in its collection. In 2024, a record-breaking 321-centimeter specimen earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records, as the Plantentuin Meise official page notes.
Visitors can view the baby specimen starting May 27, 2026, but must act quickly. The flower remains open for only 48 to 72 hours, after which the inflorescence dies off. The garden has not yet announced extended visiting hours, though it has done so for previous blooms.
The Corpse Flower’s Infamous Scent
The giant arum lily (Amorphophallus titanum, literally meaning “misshapen giant penis”) is renowned not for its appearance alone but for its powerful odor. “As soon as the female flowers are ripe for pollination, the spadix heats up and the plant spreads a smell reminiscent of rancid cheese and rotten fish,” Es explained in an earlier interview with VRT NWS. “That’s why the Indonesians also call it the ‘corpse plant.’”
The foul scent serves a critical evolutionary purpose: it attracts carrion beetles and flies, which act as pollinators. Self-pollination is impossible because the male flowers mature approximately 24 hours after the female flowers, making the plant entirely dependent on these insects.
Conservation in a Changing World
Beyond its novelty, the successful bloom carries deeper significance. The giant arum lily is native only to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is endangered due to massive deforestation. In 2023 alone, 3.7 million hectares of primary tropical rainforest were lost globally — equivalent to 10 football fields per minute, according to the Plantentuin Meise official page.
Botanical gardens like Plantentuin Meise play an increasingly vital role in preserving the species ex situ. The garden has already distributed over 40 plants to 11 botanical gardens across Europe, creating a genetic safety net. Its “Groene Ark” (Green Ark) facility enables advanced research and conservation programs for endangered species.
What’s Next
The successful completion of the full cultivation cycle — from pollination to flowering — validates the techniques developed in 2017 and opens the door for future breeding programs. With approximately 50 seedlings from that original experiment, more blooms are expected in the coming years.
Whether the current baby specimen will itself be pollinated during this brief flowering window remains to be seen. But for now, the garden is celebrating a milestone that underscores the importance of botanical conservation in an era of rapid environmental change.