Corpse Flower 'Musky' On Verge Of Blooming At Milwaukee Domes

MILWAUKEE, WI — A somewhat shy but massive and stinky corpse flower named "Musky" is on the verge of blooming at Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Domes, the park said in a Facebook statement on Tuesday.

In a comment update around noon Wednesday, the Domes said Musky has not bloomed yet, but a size update is expected from the horticulturalist soon.

The flower, also known as Amorphophallus titanum, is native to the rainforests of Western Sumatra Indonesia. It brings a distinct smell of rotting flesh and death when it blooms every eight years or so in order to attract pollinating bugs like dung beetles and flies, according to LiveScience.com.

The Domes said it first became home to a corpse flower in 2007 with a donation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison greenhouse. The original "corm" has produced 10 off-shoots and three blooms so far.

When Musky blooms, it's expected to last around 24-36 hours. It would be the fourth of its kind to bloom at the Domes. Earlier siblings to Musky included "Pepe le Pew" in 2018, plus "Pig Pen" and "Stinkerbelle" in 2021.

In an update on Monday, the domes said it will alert people via its Facebook page once the corpse flower blooms.

"We're all eager for the big event which, as you may know, is a profound olfactory experience for humans and bugs alike," the Domes wrote in a Facebook post Monday. "We're happy to report that there have been noticeable changes in the plant's character and attitude, and this morning the cataphylls wilted (i.e., the outer sheath that covers the flower bud fell away). We'll keep you posted - a bloom is imminent!"

The growth cycle of the flower includes sprouting a large stalk that can reach 15 feet tall, before the leaf stalk dies and the corm goes dormant, the Domes said. But then a new leaf stalk emerges and repeats the cycle before it forms a flower.

Located at 524 South Layton Boulevard, the Mitchell Park Domes are open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends, according to the park's website. The last admissions are an hour before close.