Dexter Resident Cultivates Bloom of the Century with Endangered Corpse Flower at Home

Dexter resident Kevin Hauser made history this week with the blooming of an Amorphophallus Titanum, commonly known as the “corpse flower,” within his home conservatory.

The corpse flower is known for being the largest flower in the world and emits a smell akin to rotten flesh during its rare blooming period. The blooming of Hauser’s corpse flower is not only a momentous occasion for him and his family but also for botanical enthusiasts and conservationists worldwide.

The Amorphophallus Titanum, or “Corpsy” as the Hauser family affectionately call it, is critically endangered, with only about 500 plants remaining in the wild, primarily on the island of Sumatra, and approximately 2,000 in conservation worldwide across various universities and botanical gardens.

Kevin Hauser with “Corpsy.” Photo by Doug Marrin.

What makes Hauser’s plant exceptionally noteworthy is the rarity and significance of this event. “There have been eight non-institutional growers to flower this plant in the U.S.,” he explains. “It is believed this will be the first flowering globally to occur inside a residential home, and only the second flowering in the U.S. this year.”

The corpse flower is distinguished by its substantial size and the intense odor it releases, similar to decaying flesh, during its infrequent blooming period. The corpse flower, specifically Amorphophallus titanum, is known for its gigantic bloom that can exceed 10 feet in height and its potent scent designed to attract carrion insects. It blooms approximately once every 7 to 10 years and is considered threatened in its natural habitat. The chemical processes involved in the blooming of the corpse flower are complex.

“As soon as it starts to open, the chemical factory starts, and they’re all sulfites. They’re all very pungent, sulfur-containing materials, these exotic compounds that attract different things,” explains Hauser, who has a background in chemical engineering.

Courtesy of Kevin Hauser

During the peak of the bloom at Hauser’s conservatory, the flower’s scent became so intense that the family sealed their botanical collection area with duct tape to manage the odor, which even attracted turkey vultures to circle overhead.

Hauser also addressed common misconceptions about the rarity of the corpse flower. He noted that while some individuals claim to have grown similar plants, they often refer to other species within the Amorphophallus genus, such as “konjac” or “voodoo lilies,” which are distinct from Amorphophallus Titanum. These other species, while also producing a noticeable odor when flowering, do not match the scale or rarity of the corpse flower. “If you were to put the two plants side-by-side, there would be no comparison,” notes Hauser.

“A few people contacted us during the process to say they had also had ‘corpse flower’ or ‘voodoo lily’ blooms of their own and wondering what the fuss was about,” says Hauser. “Those aforementioned terms are commonly applied to many types of plants. Descriptions of the size of their plants, where they grew them, and other details made it clear they were other common Amorphophallus species. One, A. Konjac, can actually survive Zone Five winters on occasion. Those are plentiful and also produce a small, stinky bloom as much as four feet tall or so.”

Hauser’s journey with the corpse flower began six years ago when he procured a two-ounce corm from a cloned specimen in North Carolina. The decision to grow this plant was sparked by his desire to include unique botanical specimens in his home conservatory. The experience has provided the family not only with a unique horticultural undertaking but also with significant attention from both the local community and global botanical enthusiasts.