Photos: The Rare, Stinky Corpse Flower That Unexpectedly Bloomed In Chicago Last Night

By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 29, 2015 2:00PM

A rare corpse flower—so named for the putrid stench it emits when it blooms—has unexpectedly bloomed at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Alice, as the nearly-five feet tall plant is called, unexpectedly bloomed Monday night, shocking Chicago botanists who recently mourned the loss of "Spike," a different corpse flower that didn't bloom last month.

"Given that titan arums [a.k.a. corpse flowers] are notably unpredictable flowering plants (and we should know!), we wanted to be sure that she would bloom before we announced her debut," a statement on The Botanic Garden website read.

Alice is on display to be seen and smelled Tuesday from now until 2 a.m., and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The special, extended hours are to ensure more visitors have a chance to experience the corpse flower, which only blooms about once a decade, and requires very specific soil, temperature and humidity conditions to reach maturity.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL.