The Gustavian Weekly story on Perry and his/her associated human enablers appeared today. In addition, our titanic plant has been spotlighted on the news section of the Gustavus website.
Emily Hoefs, Alex Burum and I were recently interviewed by a representative of a major Minnesota news entity. More on that later.
Meanwhile, here are some recent photos from May 3. The spadix of our plant is unusual in that it does not have the distinctly pointed shape of other spadices of A. titanum plants. Click on the thumbnail images for larger views. 
Alex Burum and Emily Pelton gave a well-received poster presentation on our Amorphophallus titanum at our Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium this afternoon. See this link for the titles and presenters, and this link for detailed abstracts of the presentations.
See the Titan Arum webcam for a live look at the plant. The image is renewed at five-minute intervals. We now have three cameras linked (distant, top-down, and close-up). The close-up camera will be moved occasionally so as to provide different views.
How long will the bloom remain open once it blooms?
Deborah,
We expect it to remain open and at its peak for approximately two days.
[…] noted on Perry’s Blog, media coverage is increasing. Should make for an interesting week […]
The best time frame I can find is “the week of Sunday May 6th.” Is there any way, yet, to know more specifically? My sister attends GAC, and I would love to see it in bloom if possible. Also, if it doesn’t bloom for another few days, will the arboretum be open to the public when it does?
Just curious…with such a short bloom time, it would be a shame to “blink” and miss the chance!!
Thanks
Kaley,
It’s difficult to predict, since we’ve never done this before, and factors such as temperature probably make a difference. We’re thinking, right now, perhaps toward the end of the week or the weekend.
I’m so excited to be able to see this plant with my own eyes. I’ve read much about it and was always fascinated by it, never realizing that I’d be able to actually see (and smell!) one. What a rare and wonderful botanical treat. You should all be so proud of what your department has accomplished.
See you soon!
My friend and I were wondering why the flower’s name is Perry? Amy thinks it stems from “perish.” We are both psych majors and when we take study breaks we always check up on Perry’s progress. We are so excited for Perry to bloom!
Jen
Jen,
See the post titled “Measurement, Hydrophobicity, and Name of the Corpse Flower” that precedes this one for the origin of the name.
I have an Amorphophallus titanum or Titan arum and I have just given one to the only local Botanical Garden in the hope it will attract attention and publicity for the Garden. Can you give me advice as to the growing conditions you used to flower Perry? You have done an amazing job with this plant. Thanks, Jenny
Jennifer,
Thanks for your comment and the compliment. I posted a titanum cultivation piece on the blog on May 22 – you can access it by clicking here.