San Francisco's Rare, Rotting 'Corpse Flower' Set to Bloom in Days

Fans of plants and the smell of rotting meat should be on high alert this weekend.

Scarlet, a corpse flower at San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers, is predicted to bloom between July 1 and July 3, according to the Conservatory’s Instagram. It’s a rare sight — corpse flowers typically only bloom once every three to five years.

As soon as Scarlet blooms, the Conservatory will notify people on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and through email. According to the Conservatory’s director of collections and conservation, Ryan Guillou, prospective visitors will have up to 36 hours to catch the exceptional sight after the announcement is made — but the famous stench will only last for the first night.

The Conservatory is free for SF residents and those with a valid EBT card during daytime hours, and is otherwise $13 for an adult ticket. Tickets for a special after-hours event will be sold on-site for $20 on the first night only.

Scarlet is one of five corpse flowers at the Conservatory of Flowers. The Conservatory received it from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 2016, and the last time she bloomed was in 2019.

First-time visitors can expect Scarlet to put on a big show.

“It’s going to stink,” Guillou said. “Like really, really, really stink.”

The plant’s stench mimics the aroma of rotting flesh — and is pollinated by carrion beetles and flies.

The corpse flower is the largest unbranched inflorescence — a type of flower structure. According to Guillou, Scarlet could grow to be around 5 feet tall and is expected to be “big” and “really dramatic.”

“It’s an amazing event,” Guillou said. “It will probably be a few more years until we have another one. So enjoy it while it’s here and prepare to be disgusted.”