Under the skylights of the 7th floor Greenhouse atop an unassuming parking garage on the Ohio State University campus, an extraordinary sight—and smell—unfurls.

On the afternoon of Friday, May 24, right on the cusp of Memorial Day weekend, Maudine, the fourth Amorphophallus titanum to bloom in the Biological Sciences Greenhouse, began her reign as queen for a night and day.

Maudine’s path to blooming began even before Titan Arum Woody2’s bloom had dried up back in mid-May, setting some kind of remarkable record for Ohio State’s Titan Arum blooming frequency.

Expect the Unexpected

This could be the new mantra for Joan Leonard, greenhouse program manager, because nothing about Titan Arums is expected. Leonard knows this better than most; for 12 years she has been the nurturing force behind these Titans that she planted from seed in 2001.

Maudine, however, is one of three corm divisions taken in 2009 from the Titan Jesse (one of those seeds planted in 2001) that bloomed last year. Leonard gave one of these identical genetic clones to Miami University just weeks before it bloomed this April. The third remains in the BioSci Greenhouse--yet to bloom. If it does bloom, it too will draw crowds and make news.

Leonard and her Titan Arums are rapidly becoming celebrities far beyond campus. Stories about Woody2's bloom reached an estimated 4.2 + million people across the United States and around the world, making Leonard and her Titan Arums Ohio State's most discussed non-athletic news item.

Definitely NOT de- ja vu

No matter how many times one experiences a Titan bloom—and for most that number is never—it is a jaw-dropping, transformational moment. To be in the presence of an ancient plant so rare, even in the wild, with such staggeringly impressive physical characteristics; is to tap into a connection with the natural world that is almost primeval.

It was palpable Friday night: on the faces of everyone who came through the greenhouse—from the small children hanging onto their parents’ hands who had to be coaxed to sniff Maudine’s frills, then could not tear themselves away—to the elderly in wheelchairs, determined to maneuver close enough to get the full experience—to folks who clearly had built this into their Friday date-night activities and then found this had become THE activity— to two separate swarms of joyful Chinese students for whom this seemed to be a special pilgrimage. Folks came, looked, smelled, asked questions, took photos, laughed, lingered. Nobody could get enough. Maudine became the night’s star—and most photographed—attraction.

Not Just another Sideshow Attraction

For Leonard, growing and blooming Titans is not written into her job description, nor, is it a hobby. It is not to boost her ego, attract attention; bring fame, glory, or money. In Leonard’s world, Titans are not an exotic status symbol or a sideshow attraction. They are a vulnerable, rapidly-disappearing species in the wild, one which she and other responsible plant scientists worldwide see as their duty to preserve under cultivation.

This is not a mission for the dilettante. It is hard work and sacrifice with only the remotest hope of a bloom.

It is small wonder that with each of her four Titan blooms, Leonard has been giddy with joy and excited about the chance to share it with the public—extending greenhouse visiting hours as long as the bloom remains open.

But, while her impulse is to share her Titans with the whole world, it is never about how many people she can cram into the greenhouse and herd through the lines.

“The blooming of a Titan Arum affords the Bio Sci Greenhouse the unique opportunity to introduce one of nature’s most unusual plants to a wide audience, but it’s more than just a sideshow,” Leonard said.

“We try to impart to visitors the broader message of the importance of conservation efforts and the role of the greenhouse facility—and Ohio State University— in making those efforts. We also use this opportunity to educate visitors about the plant world and we answer a gazillion questions--not just ‘Why does it stink?’ Many want to know ‘How does it make that smell?’ and are fascinated by the complex processes employed by a plant to ensure pollination.

“They often walk away with way more information than I think they were prepared for because this is such a fascinating plant. We also get lots of great gardening stories and folks asking questions about problem houseplants.”

Leonard learned from extensive conversations that a number of visitors made a special trip from out of town or remapped their holiday weekend travel plans to include a stop at the greenhouse to check “smell titan arum” off their bucket list.

“And, the gratitude we received from visitors was overwhelming,” she said. “They were so appreciative that we held special evening and weekend visiting hours so they could experience the flowering event.”

After-Party: Friday Night under the Lights

After the greenhouse officially closed for the night, it was time for Leonard to get down to the real work: pollination.

“Yes, we did pollinate Maudine late on Friday night using fresh pollen collected from Woody just the week before. Now we just sit tight and wait to see if it was a success. We should know in a couple of weeks. I will use the pregnancy analogy again…but this time it’s like waiting to see if the line turns blue on the test."

Conservatory Conversations: Talking Titan

In the wake of Woody2’s bloom and the lull before Maudine’s moment of glory, a number of folks wandered up to the Greenhouse to pay their respects to the nearly-departed Woody2, to get a pre-bloom look at Maudine and to talk Titan with Leonard, Greenhouse Superintendent Emily Yoders-Horn or anyone else who happened to be around.

Stories abounded.

“This was probably the most interesting story I heard,” Leonard said. “A graduate student from China told us about a novel that has the Titan Arum as part of it. As I understand it, this plant is found in an underground lair of some grave robbers. Details were sketchy and I have no title. I don’t think it was written about any particular bloom and maybe just in general is about a plant that ‘smells like death.’”

Could this explain the great glee with which the two different groups of Chinese students approached Maudine? Was this a character in a favorite novel or fairy tale come to life? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s hard to argue that the Titan Arum has a strange and mysterious grip on the imagination.