In a rare botanical event, a Titan Arum nicknamed Odie bloomed at UNC Charlotte’s Botanical Gardens in its McMillan Greenhouse in mid-July 2015. This time-lapse film made up of images taken by a web camera shows Odie blooming and a pollination attempt. Odie began unfurling at approximately 12:30 p.m. Friday July 17, and was open by 8 p.m. and filling the greenhouse with a pungent odor of dead animal mixed with burnt sugar. By 11 p.m., the spathe opened even wider and flattened out. This is when John Denti attempted pollination. Saturday morning, the spathe began to draw back in, displaying a beautiful form. This short-lived bloom is as expected and part of the allure of this plant – years worth of energy go into a gigantic display designed for one night only.
More images can be seen on the Botanical Gardens Facebook site, the College’s Facebook site and the College’s Flickr account.
