corpse flower
noun
variants
or less commonly corpse plant
: a tropical perennial herb (Amorphophallus titanum) of the arum family that is native to Sumatra and produces a tall, erect, yellowish-white spadix partly enclosed by a showy, white-spotted, green spathe which opens during bloom to reveal a reddish-purple interior and emit an odor of rotting flesh
Part of the reason the corpse flower is drawing such big crowds is because it rarely blooms. It is also one of the biggest, stinkiest plants on the planet …—
Lara Sorokanich
Lara Sorokanichcalled also titan arum
Examples of corpse flower in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As of 2021, the USBG estimated that there were fewer than 1,000 individual corpse flowers remaining in the wild — making seeing one of these plants in person a remarkable experience.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Tobacco plants produce nicotine as an insecticide that deters predators; skunk cabbage and corpse flowers emit the stench of death to trick carrion-feeding insects into becoming their pollinators.
—Barbara Spindel, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023
Another plant with a large flowering is the corpse flower, also known as Amorphophallus titanum, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2023
Often called corpse flowers or stinking corpse lilies, these blossoms are infamous for their distinctive odor of rotting flesh.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
Parasitic, elusive, and emitting an overwhelming odor of putrefying flesh, Rafflesia—often called the corpse flower—has intrigued botanists for centuries.
—WIRED, 23 Sep. 2023
Since 1999, the Huntington has hosted 21 corpse flower blooms.
—Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Another rare corpse flower is set to bloom any day now at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, unleashing its notoriously pungent odor into the conservatory.
—Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
The greenhouse also has two younger corpse flowers, around 3 and 6 years old, both grown from seeds.
—Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2023
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Tobacco plants produce nicotine as an insecticide that deters predators; skunk cabbage and corpse flowers emit the stench of death to trick carrion-feeding insects into becoming their pollinators.
—Barbara Spindel, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023
Another plant with a large flowering is the corpse flower, also known as Amorphophallus titanum, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2023
Often called corpse flowers or stinking corpse lilies, these blossoms are infamous for their distinctive odor of rotting flesh.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
Parasitic, elusive, and emitting an overwhelming odor of putrefying flesh, Rafflesia—often called the corpse flower—has intrigued botanists for centuries.
—WIRED, 23 Sep. 2023
Since 1999, the Huntington has hosted 21 corpse flower blooms.
—Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Another rare corpse flower is set to bloom any day now at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, unleashing its notoriously pungent odor into the conservatory.
—Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
The greenhouse also has two younger corpse flowers, around 3 and 6 years old, both grown from seeds.
—Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corpse flower.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Corpse flower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corpse%20flower. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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