Cambridge University in titan arum corpse flower preparations

The titan arum began to show signs of flowering for the first time eight days ago

Preparations are under way to enable as many people as possible to see and smell a rare "corpse flower" that emits a "stench of rotting flesh".

A titan arum is expected to bloom for the first time in a day or two at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

Another specimen there flowered in 2004. The bloom lasts a few days and emits its smell to attract pollinators.

When it flowers, the garden will be open late to enable visitors to smell it "at its night-time stinkiest".

"Amorphophallus titanum is a very unusual plant. It lives mostly in an underground tuber which every year puts out one gigantic leaf several metres tall that lasts for the growing season," Prof Beverley Glover, director of the garden, said.

'Appalling scent'

"This year it's decided not to put up a new leaf, but to put up a flower instead."

The garden has two titan arum plants.

The current specimen has been at the garden for about 10 years, and this will be the first time it has flowered.

"When it comes out, it's the biggest single flower known in the world," Prof Glover said.

"The flower can be about two metres (80in) across."

In order to attract pollinators, it heats itself up to about 40C (104F) and "produces the most appalling scent of rotting flesh and decay to attract the carrion beetle - the pollinators in Sumatra, which is where it's from".

The smell is a combination of sulphur compounds, Prof Glover said.

"Our plan is, for the two nights that it's open, we'll open until 22:00 BST.

"The tricky thing is, we don't know when it's going to open."