Thousands of people got to see – and smell – a rare but stinky plant at Gustavus Adolphus College.

A Titan Arum, otherwise known as a Corpse Flower, bloomed over the weekend – 14 years after Biology instructor Brian O’Brien planted the seed. The notoriously smelly plant is found in nature only in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra.

“I think it smells like a dead animal, myself, but other people have their own interpretations,” O’Brien said.

The flower was on display in the Alfred Nobel Hall of Science greenhouse. As of Monday afternoon, more than 5,000 had visited the greenhouse to view the flower, according to school spokesman Matt Thomas. The official viewing was slated to end at 8 p.m. Monday.

“It smelled rotten, but it wasn’t that bad,” Bill Wever of Coon Rapids said. “I almost expected to be thrown aback by it.”

source : www.wctrib.com