On April 19, between 5 and 9 p.m. in the Science Building Greenhouse, one of the Amorphophallus titanum genotypes, affectionately known as the "corpse flower" for its rotten smell, started to open its spathe and emit its foul fragrance. Biology Professor Ross Koning, who has a nose for this kind of activity, spoke about the flower. "The specimen in bloom is the same genotype that flowered previously in our former greenhouses behind Burr Hall...this is the genotype we named Rhea with a nod to the Titan who was "mother of the gods." The other genotype in our collection, the one we named Hyperion with a nod to the Titan "sun god," is still only in leaf. But the leaf of the Titan Arum is very stunning if you have not seen one before."Koning invited the campus to witness the blooming plant, warning those wishing the maximum olfactory experience to come early in the day as the fragrance declines during the first day of flowering. Koning said the excellent HVAC systems in the Science Building kept the stench out of the classrooms and laboratories of the west wing of the building.
