How to Visit New York’s Rare Corpse Flower This Halloween

Just in time for Halloween, an enormous flower that smells like a decaying body will be blooming for the first time in years in New York State... and it's just a short trip from the Hudson Valley.

There are countless ways to celebrate spooky season in the Empire State, and while trunk-or-treats and haunted houses are crowd favorites, nature lovers can find a few great tie-ins as well. While finding New York's 4 carnivorous plants is certainly macabre, another option is to visit of the most famous flowers in the world.

The World-Famous Corpse Flower Was Mande for Halloween

Amorphophallus titanum, known less formally as the Corpse Flower, is one of the most unique plants to be kept in any botanical garden due to its large size and unbelievable stench. Luckily, timing has worked out perfectly this year to celebrate all things ghoulish with a flower that seems born for the role.

What makes the Corpse Flower Unique

One of the factors that makes the corpse flower so special is how rarely it blooms. From seed, it can take up to ten years for its first display, and even mature plants can take several years in between blooms. Now, the New York Botanical Garden is getting ready to hold their noses as their corpse flower specimen gets ready to open its petals.

Corpse Flower About to Bloom in New York State

'Stay tuned for a spooky season surprise—another corpse flower is soon to bloom in 2025!", the NYBG recently announced on their website. There is even a livestream camera set up for visitors unable to make the journey to see the bloom in person (below). Hudson Valley residents who want to experience the stench firsthand, however, have several easy options.

How to Visit the Cirpse Flower at the New York Botanical Garden

Located in the Bronx, the New York Botanical Garden is open to visitors 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday, as well on federal holidays that land on Monday. Drivers should enter 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, New York 10458 into their GPS, and Hudson Valley residents can also take Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station.