“Morticia’s” bloom draws a crowd to URI
After watching and waiting
for months, the University of Rhode Island’s Horridge Conservatory was the
busiest site on campus in June, with lines twisting and turning full of
visitors eager to catch a sight–and whiff—of URI’s resident
corpse flower (Titan Arum). More than 4,000 guests from across
southern New England were able to witness the rare and unusual occurrence.
The plant began blooming the night of June 16 with the
conservatory extending its hours to the public on Wednesday, June 17. With
assistance from URI Master
Gardeners and some night-owl helpers from the College of the Environment and Life Sciences,
Greenhouse Manager Ben Robbins and student assistant Daniel Meservey fielded
visitors and inquiries far into the evening, to allow as many people as
possible to experience the unique horticultural happening. The conservatory
stayed open until 2 a.m. with help from Niels-Viggo Hobbs, Linda Forrester,
Rachel Dahl, Amy Santiago M ’26, Kathryn Pagano and Anne Ita Sykes.
“Here for a good time, not a long time,” said the DIY t-shirt made by one guest on hand for the special occasion, perfectly expressing the plant-positive crowd’s vibe.
They were joined by a record-setting online audience: the
YouTube livestream of URI’s corpse flower bloom drew nearly 650,000 views from
around the world, a University record, and additional visitors on the days
before and after its blooming.
As Morticia steps back from public view, Robbins’ colleague
in the Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology, Assistant Professor Camilo Villouta, will
be sharing more about the plant, and others being studied at URI, on @uri.plantsciences.
URI’s Horridge Conservatory is open to the public Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., year-round, excluding holidays. Donations to
the conservatory can be made through
the URI Foundation.
