Binghamton University's stinky 'corpse flower' has died

Binghamton University is now a little less stinky. 

The university's first Amorphophallus titanum, or "corpse flower," has died.

Named Metis, the plant put up inflorescences — the process of blooming that results in a very potent stench — in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

In April, greenhouse manager Laurie Menzel Bell determined that the plant's main corm — a short, swollen, underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ — would not survive.

Therefore, the plant's life is over.

Metis' three blooms have attracted visitors to the greenhouse, eager to to catch a whiff of the plan's infamous stench.

"It may not be the rarest plant in the world, but it is one of the ones that people are most interested in coming to visit and seeing, especially of course when their inflorescence is out, and they do stink," Bell said.

Bell said the average lifespan of Amorphophallus titanum is unknown, as the practice of growing and cultivating the plant in greenhouses is fairly new, and data collection on Amorphophallus titanum has only just begun.

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"And plant growth is totally indeterminate anyway," she said. "It depends so much on individual plant and conditions."

However, Metis produced its cycles rapidly in comparison to other Amorphophallus titanum, and produced its first inflorescence at the youngest age recorded: five years from seed.

Metis was donated to the university in 2007 by John Kawamoto, of Hawaii, at the request of Binghamton University alumnus Werner Stiegler. 

Stiegler named the flower Metis after the goddess of learning and teaching. Traditionally, universities name their corpse flowers after the Greek titans.

Just before the inflorescence in 2015, Metis weighed 90 pounds. During its last inflorescence on Aug. 30, 2015, it was 87 inches tall.

"Many students here at Binghamton were able to experience a 'once or twice in a lifetime event' when Metis produced three grand and smelly inflorescences,"  reads an obituary for the flower, released by the university.

During all three inflorescences, staff at the university's greenhouse collected pollen from Metis, which produced hundreds of seeds when used to pollinate corpse flowers at the University of Hawaii, Ohio State University and Cornell University.

"Metis was not like a typical Amorphophallus. I don't think there has been any other titan arum grown in cultivation that has matured as quickly and produced an inflorescence so regularly," Stiegler said in a statement. "It is likely that Metis was genetically geared to be a pollen donor."

But don't worry. The university may stink again.

Metis was cross pollinated with Cornell's Wee Stinky in 2012 and produced two offspring. Bell does not expect either flower to bloom for another two to four years.

"It's really hard to say," she said. "I've been hoping that they grow a little slower than Metis did."

While it may be years until another corpse flower blooms, the greenhouse's collection has about 2,000 species of plants that are available for students and community members to view, including one of the most rare plants in the world, the Wollemia nobilis,an evergreen tree reaching 82–131 feet tall.

Metis' offspring are unnamed, and the university may hold a naming contest for the two offspring once they bloom.

"For us, it's Metis' legacy as our very first titanum," Bell said. 

Follow @MaggieGilroy on Twitter

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