Achi news desk-
DEXTER, Michigan –
For over half their lives, twins Rainey and Evelyn Hauser have shared their father’s attention with a leafy sibling of all kinds – an endangered tropical plant called Amorphophallus titanum.
“He would always say, ‘You’re going to be famous one day when it’s on the news’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, sure,'” Evelyn Hauser said.
Well, it looks like that day has come.
Walking Action News 7 into her Dexter sunroom, Kevin Hauser gestured toward the flower saying, “Her name is ‘Corpsey.'”
Why Corpsey?
When the plant flowers in 10 to 20 days, it will try to mimic a dead body, rising in temperature to 98 degrees.
“For the day, two days it blooms, it will smell like rotten flesh and it will fill this house with a horrible smell,” shared Kevin Hauser.
Asked if they were nervous about the smell, Rainey Hauser shrugged, jokingly saying, “Oh, just a little.”
But man will it be worth it to the Hauser family.
Kevin Hauser has been looking after Corpsey for six years, first buying the plant as a year-old corm.
He showed us pictures of the corm when he first bought it; it was only 2 inches.
This past summer, he rivaled the size of their toddler Lance.
“So how the plant works is that it grows into these progressive leaf rings, it gets bigger and bigger. Actually behind me, this is a 3-year-old Amorphophallus titanium -age,” said Kevin Hauser, showing us another tree-like plant.
When 7-year-old Corpsey blooms, it will be the first time the plant has turned into a flower.
Kevin Hauser said this is only the sixth bloom ever in the state of Michigan. But that’s not all.
“I believe, after much research, that this will be the world’s first ever bloom in a private residence,” he added.
The flower will be bittersweet for the Hauser family who have spent years nurturing Corpsey.
Hopefully it will bloom again in another seven years. But they have the stinker ring to look forward to first.
“As long as it doesn’t get to my room, it’s fine,” Evelyn Hauser said.
If you would like to receive updates on the Corpsey bloom or be considered to come see the flower, you can email Kevin Hauser at [email protected].
