"Corpse flower" in bloom

A rare, giant Titan Arum, or "corpse flower," has bloomed at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

The massive flower takes its name from the odor it emits at peak bloom, it smells as lovely as a rotting corpse.

Titan Arum plants do not have a regular schedule for blooming and it happens very rarely, sometimes going decades between blossoms.

The blossom at the U.S. Botanical Garden is expected to last 24 to 48 hours, after which it will quickly collapse.

The massive flower doubled in size over the past week, peaking at about 8-feet tall.

Native to the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, the flower was discovered in 1878.

Public viewing of this unique plant has occurred a limited number of times in the United States. The U.S. Botanic Garden last displayed a blooming titan arum in 2007.

A Titan Arum, also known as the "corpse flower" blooms at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, July 22, 2013.

The "corpse flower" is seen in bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, July 22, 2013, where visitors hoped to get a whiff of its characteristic smell of rotting flesh.

Visitors crowd around the Titan arum at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, July 22, 2013.