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

called also titan arum

Examples of corpse flower in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Experts say this rare bloom helps draw attention to the efforts of conserving the corpse flower. Wcco Staff, CBS News, 8 June 2026 Hours before the zoo’s corpse flower began to bloom Saturday afternoon, the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory had to evacuate because of a bomb threat. Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026 The corpse flower, or Amorphophallus titanum, is a rare tropical plant known for its foul odor. ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026 Animals such as the orchid mantis mimic the look of flowers, and the corpse flower emits a smell like rotting meat to attract insects, but these beetles add a new strategy to the mimicry playbook, Alam says. Chris Simms, Scientific American, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for corpse flower

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of corpse flower was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Corpse flower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corpse%20flower. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

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