Thousands of people are waiting for the rare flowering of the smelly plant

An endangered plant known as the ‘corpse flower’ due to its putrid stench is about to bloom in Australia – and in the process has taken the internet by storm, with thousands already tuning into the live stream ahead of its grand debut.

The titan arum plant, which is in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, only blooms once every few years for just 24 hours.

Affectionately named Putricia, it will emit an odor described as “wet socks, hot cat food or rotting opossum flesh”.

The long wait and uncertainty about when Putricia will bloom has spawned jokes and even unique lingo on the live chat, with thousands commenting “WWTF” or “We’re watching the flower.”

The current appearance is slight: Putricia stands silent and tall in front of a brown curtain, comfortably positioned behind a red velvet rope. From time to time, a visitor jumps into the frame and takes a selfie with the plant.

But once it blooms, viewers can expect Putricia to unfurl a bright burgundy or crimson skirt, known as a spathe, around her spadix, which is the large spike in the middle of the plant.

The gardens said it is “difficult to predict exactly when” Putricia will flower, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of people flocking online.

“I’m back again to see how Putricia is doing and I see she’s still taking her time like a queen, fair game,” one commenter wrote. “This is the slowest burlesque ever,” said another.

Another person wrote: “At night I watched, fell asleep, woke up, watched, fell asleep. I am weak, but Putricia is strong. WWTF”.

Other popular acronyms among viewers are WDNRP (We Do Not Rush Putricia) and BBTB (Blessed The Bloom).

The plant can only be found in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is known as bunga bangkai – or “corpse flower” in Indonesian. Its scientific name is Amorphophallus titanum, which comes from ancient Greek and means “giant deformed penis”.

It has the world’s largest flower structure, as it can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) tall and weigh up to 150 kg. The plant contains several hundred flowers at the base of the blade.

It is endangered in the wild due to deforestation and land degradation.

Putrichia is one of several titan arums at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens that last flowered 15 years ago.

But in recent years, other dead flowers have bloomed across Australia, including at the Melbourne and Adelaide Botanic Gardens, each time attracting thousands of curious visitors eager to climb.

There are also several located in Kew Gardens in London, where one bloomed last June. Titan arum first flowered outside Sumatra in 1889 at Kew.