Corpse flower blooms next to the Capitol

The long wait is finally over for visitors who have been yearning for a whiff of a giant flower that smells oddly like rotting flesh. The giant rainforest plant known as a "corpse flower" for its terrible smell began blooming on Sunday afternoon at the US Botanic Garden next to the Capitol, reports Irish Independent.

The titan arum growing at the U.S. Botanic Garden is about 10 years old, and this is its first flower. It began with a seed the size of a lima bean and has grown several feet tall. The plants bloom on irregular, unpredictable schedules, said Ari Novy, the public programs manager at the garden. A hot, humid climate provides the ideal conditions for the plant to produce a flower, informs Detroit Free Press.

The bloom only lasts 24 to 48 hours, but for those who can't make it to Washington to bask in its funk, the garden has a live webcam trained on the flower, so you don't miss a second of its hugeness, according to New York Magazine.