Titan Arum (corpse flower) blooming at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens — go and smell it!

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ McMillan Greenhouse is home to several Titan Arum plants. They’re also known as corpse flowers because of the stench they create when they bloom, which only happens every few years. The smell has been compared to a cross between a corpse and a dirty diaper.

One Titan Arum, newly named Smellvis, is blooming NOW. (Now is April 27, 2026, at 7:07 p.m.) It started blooming this afternoon, and guests are welcome to come and see (and smell) it!

Parking

McMillan Greenhouse is at 9090 Craver Road, Charlotte, NC.

If you come before 5:00 you will need to park in the East Deck (Bay 1) and pay for parking. After 5:00 you can park in Lot 5 or in East Deck 1 at no cost. If you have a handicapped tag then you will be able to park in the handicapped lot beside the Greenhouse after 5:00.

The address for East Deck 1 is 9110 Mary Alexander Road, Charlotte, NC. Here’s a parking map.

Fun Facts about Titan Arum

• It takes at least seven years for the Titan Arum to bloom.
• After that, it blooms often occur every three to seven years.
• The blooms are usually four to eight feet tall.
• The blooms remain open for a day or two.
• When the plant blooms, it heats up to human body temperature, allowing the smell to travel farther.
• The smell attracts pollinators.
• The plant’s Latin name was shortened to “Titan Arum,” by the naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who thought the Latin name, Amorphophallus titanum, might offend viewers of his BBC series.