Almost 20,000 people have visited Sydney’s Botanic Gardens to catch a whiff of an endangered plant known as the “corpse flower” as it bloomed.

Dubbed Putricia, the titan arum plant emits a putrid smell likened to “something rotting” or “hot garbage” for 24 hours after blooming.

The smell is the result of a chemical production that happens in the plant to attract pollinators.

The endangered flower – native to Sumatra, Indonesia – only blooms every 7-10 years in the wild. There are thought to be fewer than 1,000 plants globally, including those in cultivation.