The time has come for an infamous flower bloom — rare enough to draw crowds — inside a greenhouse at Austin Peay State University.
The rare, fleeting and enormous bloom of the titan arum — widely known as the “corpse flower” — is happening now. It began to open in a flashy show of burgundy, with a smell of rotting flesh, on Friday afternoon. APSU updated its visiting hours until 11 p.m. Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
The peak bloom is fleeting. The plant can bloom every two years, but sometimes stays dormant for 10 years. It is the first time this plant — nicknamed Athena by the university — will blossom. A different corpse flower at the school bloomed in 2022 and 2024.
The public can visit between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. this week, and extended hours may be announced. The flower is in the Sundquist Science Complex, located between Ford and Ninth streets, with parking available in Public Lot 9.
You can also check on its progress from a safe distance through an APSU livestream.
