It’s big, it’s rare and it’s dead smelly: Visitors flock to see the ‘corpse flower’ in bloom

The stench of death would normally repel sightseers, not attract them.

But this week in Sydney, a city known for its beaches and vibrant food scene, crowds flocked to catch a glimpse — and a whiff — of a rare flower whose scent has been lovingly compared to that of rotting flesh.

Lines of visitors gathered at the Australian city’s Royal Botanic Garden to witness the blooming of the rare and endangered flower Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the “corpse flower,” which opens once every few years for just 24 hours.