CNN —In the Australian city Geelong, just south of Melbourne, thousands are lining up for the rare chance to see – and smell – an unusual plant. It’s the so-called “corpse flower,” or Amorphophallus Titanum (often shortened to Titan Arum), named after the putrid stench it releases when it blooms to attract pollinators like beetles and flies. This plant was only gifted to Geelong Botanic Garden in 2021 from the State Herbarium in Adelaide, South Australia, and for years horticulturalists have been watching and waiting for signs of a nascent bud. So far, visitors have described the smell as similar to a dead mouse or a stinky pond, the city website said. The plant can live over 30 to 40 years – meaning it only blooms a handful of times in its entire lifetime.

---

Persons: Reese McIlvena, Ali Wastie Organizations: CNN, Geelong, Nine, Geelong Botanic Garden, State Herbarium, Geelong Botanic Gardens, Greater Geelong, Nine News, IUCN Locations: Melbourne, Adelaide, South Australia, ” City, Greater, Indonesia, California