Thousands wait for the rare flowering of the smelly plant

An endangered plant known as the 'corpse flower' for its putrid stench is about to bloom in Australia – and captivated the internet in the process, with thousands already tuning into the live stream ahead of its big debut.

The titan arum plant, which is located in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, only blooms once every few years for just 24 hours.

Affectionately called Putricia, it will release an odor described as “wet socks, hot cat food or rotting opossum flesh”.

The long wait and the uncertainty of when Putricia will bloom – spawned jokes and even unique live chat lingo, with thousands of “WWTF” or “We Watch the Flower” comments.

The present sight is not much: Putrisha stands silent and tall in front of a brown curtain, conveniently placed behind a red velvet rope. Every now and then a visitor pops into the frame while taking a selfie with the plant.

But once it blooms, viewers can expect to see Putrisha unfurl a vibrant maroon or purple skirt, known as a spadix, around her spadix, which is the large spike in the middle of the plant.

The gardens said it was “difficult to predict exactly when” the Putricia would flower, but that didn't stop thousands collecting online.

“I'm back again to see how Putrisha is doing and I see she's still putting in her time like the queen she is, fair game,” wrote one commenter. “This is the slowest burlesque ever,” said another.

Another person wrote: “At night I watched, fell asleep, woke up, watched, fell asleep. I am weak but Putrisha is strong. WWTF.”

Other popular acronyms among viewers are WDNRP (We Do Not Rush Putricia) and BBTB (Blessed Be The Bloom).

The plant can only be found in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is known as bunga bangkai – or “corpse flower” in Indonesian. Its scientific name is Amorphophallus titanum, which comes from ancient Greek and means “giant deformed penis”,

It has the largest flowering structure in the world as it can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) tall and weigh up to 150 kg. The plant contains several hundred flowers at the base of its spadix.

It is endangered in the wild due to deforestation and land degradation.

Putricia is one of several titan arums at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, which last flowered 15 years ago.

But in recent years, other corpse flowers have bloomed across Australia, including the Melbourne and Adelaide Botanic Gardens, each time attracting thousands of curious visitors eager to take a whiff.

There are also several housed in Kew Gardens in London where one bloomed last June. Titan arum first flowered outside Sumatra in 1889. in Kew.