Exactly two years after he last bloomed, the IU biology department’s six foot, seven inch corpse flower — “Wally” to his friends — opened up again in the Biology Building greenhouse on E Third St.
Wally began to bloom June 27. Once a corpse flower blooms, the tall spadix — a spiky, obelisk-like growth — rising from the middle lasts about 24 to 36 hours before collapsing.
The greenhouse, which normally opens from 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. during the week, held special viewing hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 27, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. During this time, staff estimated that around 4700 people visited the greenhouse. A camera in the greenhouse broadcasted a livestream of the plant as well.
Corpse flowers, or Amorphophallus titanum, are a species of plant native to the Indonesian rainforest. They only bloom after storing up sufficient energy, which, according to the U.S. Botanical Garden, can take around two to 10 years.
Greg Speichert, the late director of IU's Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, donated Wally to the greenhouse in December 2007.
Wally first bloomed in July 2016, and subsequent flowerings occurred in December 2020 and June 2023.
The corpse flower was named after Hugh Wallace "Wally" Scales, the first manager of the greenhouse and collector of many of its plants.
Many of the greenhouse’s Facebook posts referenced the signature stench of corpse flowers. The smell is often compared to rotting flesh, and this helps to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles.
Multiple comments described people bracing themselves for the stink, though one comment noted that this year, Wally wasn’t that smelly. “Wally” responded with a social media post, noting that greenhouse staff kept the doors open for ventilation.
“That meant my famous funk didn’t get to fully settle in like it normally would,” the post read. “Next time, hopefully it’ll be cooler and I can knock your socks off with the full eau de Wally experience!”
