U.S. Botanical Garden awaits titan arum bloom

Flower lovers are on high alert this week as they anxiously await the bloom of a massive, nasty-smelling flower at the U.S. Botanic Garden. This will be the first Amorphophallus titanum bloom in the U.S. since 2007. More than 40,000 revelers -- nearly double the regular foot traffic this time of year -- have stopped by since last Thursday, and the garden is extended hours on July 16 and 17 to accommodate the revelers.

But the flower has yet to cooperate.

"We're waiting for this thing to open! No one wants it more than us," public programs coordinator Laura Condeluci told CBSNews.com.

The titan arum, more commonly known as a corpse flower, can grow as high as 12 feet tall, and continues to grow as the bloom approaches. This particular titan arum has grown nearly three feet this week, reaching 85 inches as of this morning.

The titan arum takes its name from the odor it emits at peak bloom: when the spathe (the part that looks like a flower) unfurls, it smells as lovely as a rotting corpse. Condeluci has also heard it compared to rotting onions or fish. Whatever the exact link, it's nasty. The bloom is expected to last 24 to 48 hours before quickly collapsing, but the smell will only be around for the first six to 12 hours.

There's little hope of escaping the stench, either, because heat generated by the bloom will send the pungent odor throughout the botanical garden. While the smell is repugnant to humans, it holds a biological purpose, attracting pollinators such as beetles.

The garden employees have been posting daily pictures and there is a live videofeed that has thus far attracted more than 130,000 viewers. The garden is fielding so many calls about the flower that now, when calling the main number, callers are greeted with a recording explaining ways to see the flowers bloom, even before they are directed to the phone directory.

Native to the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, the flower was discovered in 1878. Even the best gardeners have a hard time predicting the flower's bloom, as the cycle can range from years to decades. It generally blooms in summer months because it requires high humidity and round-the-clock warm temperatures. Prior to blooming, it features a thick green base supporting the pointed top, almost like a massive ear of corn before it is shucked. According to the garden's website, the flower has the "largest known unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom."

The garden has 14 titan arums, but this is the first to bloom since 2007. When a titan arum bloomed at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium earlier this month, traffic increased 10-fold as more than 5,000 people flocked to see -- and smell -- the rare bloom.