ST. LOUIS — After nearly two weeks of waiting, Octavia the corpse flower has officially started blooming at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Viewers can now stop by the garden to catch a glimpse—and a whiff—of the unique flower’s stature and smell. Those interested better hurry since the bloom is projected to last for just 24 hours with peak bloom lasting from six to 12 hours, according to the garden.

The garden will be open for free viewings of Octavia from 10:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m.  Admission is free, and only the Linnean House, where the corpse flower is housed, will be open.

“Few of these plants exist in cultivation, and they bloom only rarely and under just the right conditions,” the garden’s website said. “On the extremely infrequent occasion that a titan arum comes into flower, the intense, foul odor, emitted from a tall spike of small, crowded flowers, lasts just a few days.”

Gardeners have expected Octavia, and her clone, to be close to blooming since July 18. Octavia split earlier this year, resulting in two tubers ready to bloom. Her clone is expected to bloom shortly after Octavia next week.

“We are delighted to have one of the world’s most iconic plants, the titan arum, flowering at the Missouri Botanical Garden,” said garden president Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson. “It is an important symbol of the incredible diversity of the world’s plants, which we all need to work to conserve in cultivation and in their natural habitats.”

See the corpse flower, and people’s reactions to the stench, in real time on our YouTube live stream here:

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