AnAmorphophallus gigasplant bloomed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York on January 24, with hundreds of flowers producing a putrid stench. Brooklyn Botanic GardenThe air was thick with both anticipation and a pungent smell as visitors flocked to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden last weekend for a chance to see a rare flower bloom.The Amorphophallus gigasa cousin to Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as a corpse floweris native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The specimen in Brooklyn, nicknamed Smelliot by garden staff, arrived in 2018 as a seedling from Malaysia, according to a statement from the garden. Now almost six feet tall, its one of only ten known plants of its species housed at a botanic garden worldwide.This was Smelliots first inflorescenceso called because rather than a single flower, it has hundreds of flowers inside the bloom, explains Chris Sprindis, a gardener at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, to John Minchillo at the Associated Press. And beyond its standout smell, such a bloom is special, because its rare: With years between these events, and weeks of anticipation as the plants tall spadix grows, the blossoming period only lasts about three days.The chance to seeand smellthe flower drew New Yorkers outside, despite the cold. Even while the chills of winter can easily keep me indoors snuggled under a blanket, watching this once-in-a-lifetime flower about to bloom has made me very excited, visitor Jackie Jackson tells Anna Kod at the New York Times. Ive only seen stories about the corpse flower on TV or online, so to be able to see and smell this in person is a tremendous and exciting opportunity.The plant smells bad for good reason. The scent of rotting flesh attracts pollinators, like beetles and flies, that lay their eggs in dead animals. It smells like feet, cheese and rotten meat. It just smelled like the worst possible combination of smells, visitor Elijah Blades tells the AP. That was disgusting.The short-lived bloom lasted from Friday morning through Sunday, when it collapsed. Another inflorescence wont occur for a while, adds Sprindis to the AP. Its not going to happen next year. Its going to be several years before it happens again. Visitors to Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden photograph a blooming corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) on January 24. Don Arnold / Getty ImagesSo far, 2025 seems to be the year of the smelly flower: A bloom of the related species Amorphophallus titanum also recently drew thousands of people to Sydneys Royal Botanic Garden, where a corpse flower hadnt bloomed for 15 years. A 24/7 livestream of the flower, dubbed Putricia, garnered more than one million views.Something that occurs this rarely is always a special occasion, says Brett Summerell, chief scientist at the citys Royal Botanic Garden, to the Guardians Caitlin Cassidy. Its spectacular, its unique.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Australia, Botany, Exhibits, Flowers, Gardening, New York City, Plants, Tourism