Sac State's Corpse Flower Getting Ready To Bloom

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The smell could make your eyes water or make you sick to your stomach, but the blooming of Sacramento State University's corpse flower is big news.

The corpse flower's bloom is a rare occurrence, and this is the first time Sac State's flower has done so, according to a statement from the school.

Although the exact time the flower will bloom is unknown, the university expects it will happen within the next 10 days.

A special display is being built for the flower in the Sequoia Hall lobby.

The flower is appropriately named because of its putrid smell, which some describe as rotting flesh.

"To be competitive for attracting its pollinators, which in this case, are flies and beetles. So that's why it's really big and smells, so it can attract them and hold them there overnight – literally creating a situation for a one-night stand," said Ernesto Sandoval, Director of UC Davis Botanical Conservancy.

The short-lived flower typically lasts only 48 hours.

UC Davis Corpse Flower Blooms