Corpse flower at NC State begins to bloom

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's a sight to see and a smell to avoid.

Lupin, the massive corpse flower at North Carolina State, is starting to bloom.

Click here to watch a livestream of the flower from NC State.

NC State PhD student Brandon Huber has owned the flower for about 10 years. In that time, it has only bloomed once--that was in 2016.

For that bloom, about 5,000 people came from across the country to check out the rare corpse flower.

"Last time it bloomed people came from all over. And they are like 'I checked this off my bucket list.' This is the plant that brings a lot of people together," Huber said.

Huber is hoping it'll do the same this time around.

"It's definitely an exciting time. It's hard to believe this was just three years ago when it bloomed last time," Huber said.

The corpse flower, formally known as amorphophallus titanum, gets its nickname because of the pungent aroma it releases when it blooms.

"For me it's not as bad. But it's kind of like driving by roadkill on a really hot day," Huber said.

Once the corpse flower blooms its smell will only last about 24 hours. You will be able to sign up on NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website if you want to come see it. But if you can't handle the smell, you can always look at the lovely bloom through the university's livestream.