Corpse flower to bloom at US Botanic Garden

A huge rainforest plant known as the corpse flower for its rancid smell is set to bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden, located next to the Capitol.

The flower, officially named the titan arum flower, could bloom at any time. The garden has extended its hours on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to give visitors a chance to see the flower in full bloom and smell the scent of rotting flesh.

The flower’s smell attracts beetles for pollination. The plant is about 10 years old, and this is its first flower. The bloom will only last one or two days. The last corpse flower to bloom at the Botanic Garden was in 2007.