LACONIA — The Lake City is home to a rare plant, the Titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum or the "Corpse Flower" and it's due to bloom any day now.

The plant is native to Sumatra and only a handful have bloomed in the United States. This rare plant is the same plant that flowered just two and a half years ago, affectionately named "Tilly" the Titan, and drew throngs of viewers.

Local botanist and oral surgeon Dr. Louis Ricciardiello is responsible for the magnificent flower. The massive flower grows daily and it already has exceeded the size of the first. Currently, Tilly stands at 96" and has a girth exceeding 61 inches.

The "corpse flower" has a flowering stalk which can grow as high as 10 feet and it produces a bloom that opens to a diameter of three to four feet.

It gets its nickname by emitting the odor of decaying flesh.

For more information, contact Natalie Rudzinskyj at nrudzinskyjlrgh.org to inquire about the status of Tilly's bloom.

A human is dwarfed by the size of Dr. Louis Ricciardiello's Titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum or the 'Corpse Flower' which is due to bloom any day now. (Courtesy Photo)