The Wireless

Titan arum

07:43 am on 2 December 2013

Thousands of people queued up at the Auckland Domain's Wintergarden on Sunday to see – and smell – one of the world's largest flowers.

One of the world's rarest flowers is in full bloom at the Auckland Domain Wintergarden - and producing its signature rotting flesh smell.

Despite the odour, more than 100 people queued on Sunday morning to get a glimpse of the Titan arum in flower. One woman described it as stunning and said it was worth the wait of many years.

The 2.5-metre high Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the corpse flower, is from the Sumatra forest in Indonesia and blooms once every seven to 10 years. Its smell is strong enough to spread for two to three kilometres, attracting insects the plant needs to pollinate it.