The blooming of a giant corpse flower in Sydney has become an event with thousands flocking to see it at the Royal Botanic Garden and hundreds of thousands following it online. But why are so many people interested in this five-foot-tall flower that gives off the stench of death?

A rare plant known as the corpse flower bloomed in Sydney on Friday for the first time in more than a decade, emitting an odour likened to rotting flesh and delighting thousands who queued for a whiff.

An endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink is blooming in Australia - and captivating the internet in the process, with thousands already tuned in to a livestream to witness its grand debut. The titan arum plant, housed in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney, blooms only once every few years for just 24 hours.

A rare and revolting spectacle has drawn tens of thousands to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, where a foul-smelling flower has finally bloomed.

A foul-smelling corpse flower is blooming at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The BBG said around New Year's Eve, a gardener noticed the plant's inflorescence was starting to emerge and moved it into the garden's Aquatic House.

Dubbed Putricia, the titan arum plant emits a putrid smell likened to "something rotting" or "hot garbage" for 24 hours after blooming. The smell is the result of a chemical production that happens in the plant to attract pollinators.

The bloom has attracted up to 20,000 admirers who filed past, hoping to experience the smell for themselves, with some attendees describing it as "like death," "like poop," and "like sewage water."