Love Stinks: The Corpse Flower in Bloom

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this unforgettable botanical spectacle is at peak opening. If you’re seeking a truly unique Valentine’s outing, bring your Sweet to smell something truly Stinky!

This rare tropical plant is famous for its enormous flowering structure and its powerful scent, which mimics rotting flesh to attract pollinators in its native Sumatran rainforest habitat. Corpse Flowers bloom unpredictably and infrequently, making this a special opportunity for our campus community to witness one of the botanical world’s most extraordinary reproductive events.

Beyond the spectacle, this bloom offers an important reminder of the urgency of plant conservation. Amorphophallus titanum is native to rapidly diminishing rainforest ecosystems. Living collections like ours play a vital role in conservation education, biodiversity preservation, and in training the next generation of plant scientists and environmental stewards.

Today (Valentine’s Day): 12–8 PM
Sunday, Feb 15th: 12–8 PM (tentative)

Location: SFSU Greenhouse
Just east of Cox Stadium, behind Hensill and Thornton Halls

This event is free and open to the public. If you’d like to support conservation education and living plant collections at SFSU, a donation QR code will be available on-site during viewing hours.

Follow live updates on Instagram: @friends_of_sfsu_greenhouse

The bloom will last only 24–48 hours at peak, so we encourage visitors to come as soon as possible. 

We hope to see you at the bloom!