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Rare, foul-smelling 'corpse flower' blooms in New York City

Rare, foul-smelling 'corpse flower' blooms in New York City
Posted at 8:34 PM, Jul 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-29 20:34:14-04

NEW YORK (AP) — A foul smelling plant known as the "corpse flower" is finally blooming at the New York Botanical Garden in New York City.

Visitors were waiting in line more than an hour to see the rare bloom. It started emerging Thursday afternoon after more than 10 years of growth.

It's native to Sumatra's equatorial rain forests and emits an odor like rotting flesh while it's briefly in bloom.

It's one of the largest flowers on earth and can reach 6 feet in height. It emits the stench to attract pollinators.

The bloom at its peak only lasts about 24 to 36 hours — and it could be years before the flower blooms again.