Colorado State University’s rare, foul-smelling corpse flower, Cosmo, bloomed for the first time on Saturday night.
On Sunday, hundreds of people lined up to circle the block on the CSU campus where the plant nursery is located, taking selfies to catch a glimpse of Cosmo. This unusual corpse flower is the largest inflorescence, or group of flowers functioning as a single flower, in the plant kingdom. Most years, the corpse flower blooms only partially, forming a large stem-like structure before returning to dormancy.
But this year, the cosmos are in full bloom, a rare occurrence that only happens once every few years. Instead of tall stems, they have large red flower buds with pale stalks protruding from the center. They look pretty, but they don’t smell great; for 12 hours after blooming, they give off a strong odor that has been likened to rotten meat.
You can view the Cosmopolitans for free from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the CSU Plant Cultivation Facility Conservatory, located next to the Montfort Quadrangle in Fort Collins. The facility will be open as long as the Cosmopolitans are in bloom.
Those who can’t attend in person can tune into CSU’s odor-free livestream.
For patient flower lovers, the next likely spot for the corpse flower to bloom is the Denver Botanic Gardens, where two species of corpse flower are protected. The corpse flower last bloomed in 2018 and 2022.
