Putrid-Smelling Corpse Flower Draws Hundreds Looking for a Sniff of 'Rotting Meat'

A putrid-smelling corpse flower is drawing droves of visitors to Eastern Illinois University eager for a whiff.

"It really smells like rotting meat," greenhouse manager Steven Malehorn told WCIA in Charleston, Illinois, Thursday. "It is intense." 

And it's not just the nose that's assailed. "When you are standing next to it when it is blooming, you can actually taste the odor," said Malehorn. 

The distinct smell is used to attract flies, which act as pollinators, according to Malehorn.

The flower opens for just a single day once every two years, attracting hundreds to the greenhouse for the chance to photograph the rare bloom.

"It will be open all morning, then, the following morning, it is done," Malehorn said. 

"It is something you really have to smell at least once in your life," he added. 

Don't worry if you missed it — the flower is due to bloom again in 2020.

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