Rare corpse flower at NC State expected to bloom in next couple days

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- NC State's rare corpse flower is on track to bloom sometime in July.

NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has already started livestreaming a view of the titan arum.

The flower, named Lupin after a character from the Harry Potter universe, produces a stinky odor (often described as being similar to rotting flesh) and heats up to the human body temperature as it blooms.

The bloom of the flower is a spectacle that people always travel to experience.

NC State said it expects the flower to bloom in a matter of days.

It took the NC State corpse flower 13 years to bloom for the first time (in 2016). It bloomed again in 2019 and is expected to continue to do so every 3-7 years.

When the flower does bloom, NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will have a sign up system for people interested in seeing and smelling the bloom for themselves. More details will be released later.

The exact time that the bloom will happen is a matter of speculation. NC State is hosting a contest where people can guess the date of the bloom. Winners will receive a prize pack and get to experience the bloom for themselves.

Click here for more details on the guess the bloom date contest.