Mirage, a titan arum, has just experienced a rare bloom (Credit: Nicole Ravicchio/ Calacademy.org/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

On February 27, 2024, biologists at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences revealed that "Mirage," its resident titan arum, or corpse flower, had bloomed. The massive plants bloom once every seven to ten years. The flowers last just one to three days and emit a pungent odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. It is no wonder that titan arums are deemed the "world's stinkiest flower."