A closeup photo of a flower with light shining through

GVSU corpse flower, now dormant, back home after a summer adventure

GVSU's corpse flower went on a road trip this summer to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park when it unexpectedly started blooming, allowing the community to experience its rotting-flesh smell.

After a short post-bloom stay at Meijer Gardens, the plant had already died back considerably by the time Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse staff members loaded it up for a trip back to the Allendale Campus. And now, it's dormant and unrecognizable given its previous splendor.

While its bloom may be fleeting -- only 24 to 36 hours -- the fascination with the rare tropical plant lives on. See how the trip for the plant lovingly called "The Beast" played out through this photo essay.

Three people load a plant on a cart into the back of a vehicle.
(From left) Christina Hipshier, GVSU junior Mykah Mallory and Wendy Overbeck Dunham, load the corpse flower into a vehicle for transport back to GVSU. Hipshier is the supervisor of the Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse on the Allendale Campus.
A person walks into a greenhouse surrounded by plants. In the foreground is a plant with a large flower that has died back.
Hipshier walks near the corpse flower after it was returned to the Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse.

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