The Conservatory of Flowers has announced that their rare corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) will bloom within the week! The fascinating spectacle only occurs once every 3 to 5 years, so when we get a corpse flower bloom here in SF, people always race to the Conservatory to see it in person.
This specimen, affectionately named Chanel, started showing signs of a bloom about 3 weeks ago, but it wasn’t until June 28th that the Conservatory confirmed the bloom.
How can I see the corpse flower in bloom?
Corpse flower blooms usually only last about 2 days, so if you want to see Chanel in bloom, you should keep a close eye on the Conservatory of Flowers‘ social media accounts and livestream. They offer free admission to San Francisco residents, but make sure you reserve online as the corpse flower always draws big crowds.
The Conservatory of Flowers is open from 10 am to 4 pm every day except Wednesday—and if the flower blooms on a Wednesday, the Conservatory will open at least partially. Find it at 100 John F Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
If you can’t make it to see (and smell) the bloom in person, the livestream is a fantastic plan B!
What is a corpse flower?
Native to Sumatra, Indonesia, the endangered corpse flower (known scientifically as Amorphophallus titanum or titan arum) has fewer than 1,000 individuals left in the wild. It’s famous for its massive size, short-lived blooms, and strong odor of rotting flesh. The plant typically takes 7-10 years to bloom initially, and then re-blooms every 3-5 years, usually in summer.
The corpse flower produces the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence (cluster of flowers on a main stem). This flower cluster is enclosed in a tall green spathe and surrounded by a deep burgundy bloom resembling flesh. Its foul smell, warm temperature, and appearance attract carrion-loving insects like dung beetles and flesh flies for pollination.
Have corpse flowers bloomed at the Conservatory of Flowers before?
The Conservatory of Flowers has several rare corpse flowers, resulting in ongoing blooms over the past few years. The plants always have names, including Terra, which bloomed in 2017; Amor and Suma, which bloomed simultaneously in 2018; Scarlet, which bloomed in 2019 and 2023; and Chanel, which bloomed in 2022 and now 2025. They also gifted a corpse flower plant named Mirage to the California Academy of Sciences, which bloomed in 2024.