Stinky corpse flower blooms in Beijing

Flowers are usually popular for their beautiful colors and sweet scents. But there is one flower at the Beijing Arboretum that's attracting visitors for a different reason.

The plant is called the Amorphophallus titanum. But most people know it by its more common name, the corpse flower, because it exudes the smell of rotten flesh.

Originally native to the tropical rainforests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the plant rarely blossoms, even in the wild. In terms of artificial cultivation, there have been only 134 recorded blooms worldwide. And in China, this is the first.

This plant is now growing by ten centimeters everyday, but its flower is yet to bloom to its full potential, which is when the smell becomes the worst. Park staff expects this flower to fully bloom on May 26 or 27. And once that happens, the flower's full bloom lasts no more than 48 hours.

So if you want to get a closer look – or smell – of the flower that smells like a corpse, you'd better hurry up.

Video: Christie Lee

Videographer: Chris Clark

Producer: Flora Yue