Titan Arum Morphy: Sweet Smell Of Death At Dartmouth

If you've ever heard of the Titan Arum, you might wonder how massive it is - the six and a half foot flower is a sight to be seen, but more than that, it is also one that maybe you should not smell, especially if you just had your lunch.

Commonly known as the corpse flower, it certainly lives up to its name, as the titan arum smells like a combination of death and urine. However, because of its rarity, it's also somewhat a marvel to look at. The titan arum at Dartmouth's Life Sciences Greenhouse hasn't bloomed since 2011, but is expected to so again after five years by Thursday.

Tulsa World reported that crowds are already filing through the greenhouse to see it bloom, and nearly 175 are listed to see a special viewing for Sunday. In anticipation of its big moment, the corpse flower is said to have been growing about 4 inches a day as it is maturing.

Kim DeLong, manager of the greenhouse at Dartmouth said that having the flower is "exciting." She already witnessed the species blooming when she worked at the University of California, Berkeley, and she said that the smell is "very overpowering. It smells like a dead corpse or feces or urine - all of that together."

As the flower gets closer to its full bloom (and consequently, its full odor), it will turn a deep burgundy color similar to meat in order to attract potential pollinators. Boston.com also noted that Dartmouth has already extended its greenhouse hours this week and has had a webcam streaming live images of the flower at all times. Visitors, for now, are still trying to catch a sniff, but it won't be long before the overpowering smell will cause an attack on the senses.

The titan arum will only bloom for a day, but the smell is likely to linger for a few days after. The Sumatran equatorial rain forest native is a sight to be seen despite its horrible stench - in fact, one attracted large crowds at the New York Botanical Garden in July, and another at the US Botanic Garden in Washington DC in August.