SF’s Rare Corpse Flower 2022 “Stinky Bloom” (Final Day)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park has announced that one their super smelly “corpse flowers” has started it’s bloom! And that means it’s going to start smelling like moldy cheese, sweaty gym socks and rotting flesh. Nice!

UPDATE: The Bloom (and stink) is fading.

Updated, Sunday, June 19, 2022 at 8:31am

• Friday, June 17 – The Conservatory is opening late on Friday, June 17, 2022 with extended hours from 4-9pm – please note during extended hours that admission is $13 for everyone, including SF residents.
• Saturday, June 18 – Come to the Conservatory on Saturday, June 18, 2022 from 10a to 4p for free admission for SF residents and $13 admission for non-residents. Currently there are no plans for evening hours on Saturday. See full details.
• Sunday, Jun 19 – Check Sunday morning on @conservatoryofflowers for details to see if the bloom is still open and stinking. They say they will post an update Sunday morning. From the live video at 8:30am the bloom is still slightly open and could still have a smell. The Conservatory of Flowers says “we don’t expect it to last beyond the weekend.”

The bloom started on June 17th and only lasts 1 or 2 days. But of course, nature does whatever she very well pleases! You can currently see Chanel on display in the Conservatory’s West Gallery.

Visit the Conservatory of Flowers at 100 JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4:30pm. Tickets are free for San Francisco residents with ID (brand new for 2022!), while tickets for non-residents are $13 for adults and $7 for kids, students and seniors.

Please note that special nighttime hours might also cost $13 for San Francisco residents if the Conservatory opens late.

Come see “Chanel the Titan” (yes, the Conservatory has named the flowers!). The flowers usually take 7-10 years to bloom for the first time, and then can re-bloom every 3-5 years thereafter. The last blooms of a corpse flower at the Conservatory in 2017 and then again in 2020. The smelly bloom only lasts a day or two.

 

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Why does the bloom stink?
The scent is a deception device that tricks pollinators into thinking the plant is rotting organic matter. These pollinators – carrion beetles and flies – lay eggs on decaying animals so their larva can feast when they hatch. The bloom heats up on the first evening to further disperse the odor.

On other days, the Conservatory of Flowers has many other smaller stinky flowers if you just neeeed to get a whiff with three smelly orchids in their Highland Tropics gallery.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.