Shy flower causes stink in Sydney

People are queuing up to witness the rare bloom - and give it a sniff

A plant whose bloom produces a smell variously compared to rotting flesh, smelly socks and Camembert cheese, has flowered in Sydney.

After more than a decade of coaxing, a Titan Arum, or Amorphophallus titanum, burst into bloom on Thursday in Sydney's Botanic Gardens.

A spokeswoman for the gardens' trust said people were queuing up to see the flower, before it dies.

She said the flower would probably start to collapse on Saturday.

"This is unprecedented interest in a plant in the botanical gardens," she said.

"People are getting their photos taken, asking lots and lots of questions, and really enjoying the experience."

The flower, which originates from western Sumatra in Indonesia, has been known to grow up to 2.9m tall, although the executive director of Sydney's Botanic Gardens Trust, Tim Entwistle, said this one was only expected to grow to half that height.

"We've been trying to get this one to flower since 1992," he said.

Despite its prodigious height and smell, usually the plant is easy to miss.

When it is not producing massive leaves or flowers it just lies underground, looking like a giant potato.