PORT ORCHARD — Marilyn Davis smelled a rat.
The co-owner of The Brothers Greenhouses overturned potted plant after potted plant last week to find the source of a rotten odor she thought must be a decaying rodent.
Davis eventually realized that she wasn't smelling a dead animal, but rather the signature rotting flesh scent of the "corpse flower," which is blooming right now at the Port Orchard nursery.
"The people that came in early, they figured out right away why I had it outside," Davis laughed.
The tall, burgundy-colored plant started flowering about a week ago for the first time in two years, according to greenhouse production manager Sam Maupin.
Best known for its overpowering odor, the plant is one of the more unique pieces of flora at the nursery. The deathly smell is actually a trick used to convince flies and carrion beetles in its native tropical habitat that the flower is a tasty meal.
The flies get covered in the flower's pollen and spread it elsewhere when they leave.
"Obviously the color of the thing suggests rotting meat, it has that gross purply flesh," Maupin said.
The "corpse flower" is part of the genus "Amorphophallus," but Maupin isn't sure about the specific origin of the nursery's specimen. He received the bulb in the early 2000s while working with Washington State University's horticulture club, but it took five to seven years before it was large enough to produce a flower.
"Amorphophallus" plants are some of the most unique in the world — a certain type, the Titan Arum, owns the title of world's largest flower. In addition to the smell and size, some plants can go years without blooming, and even then, flower for only 24 to 36 hours.
One corpse flower at the Chicago Botanic Garden bloomed for the first time in 11 years in 2015.
Brothers' plant isn't as big as some others, and its flower usually sticks around for several weeks. But on a warm day, the stench of rotting flesh can be overpowering.
"It really wafts across the whole property," Maupin said. "We have to wheel it outside, otherwise it makes the place unbearable."
Maupin estimated the flower may stick around for another week or so, depending on the temperature. Once the flower wilts, the bulb will produce a big leaf before going dormant. The leaf is what gathers energy to eventually produce a flower, Maupin said.
The bulbs will also split off into smaller bulbs, which the greenhouse plans to sell. Since most of the plant's lifecycle is spent dormant or as a large leaf, the "Amorphophallus"makes a surprisingly good garden addition.
"Unless it's blooming, it's a gorgeous, very interesting foliage plant," Davis said.
Anyone who wants to get the full olfactory experience of the flower should visit in the afternoon when the sun is out, Maupin said. For those averse to the smell of roadkill, morning is best.
"It's very curious and it attracts people, but the people who are coming in for Easter don't like it," Maupin laughed.
Corpse Flower also bloomed at Volunteer Park Conservatory in 2016.
