A plant that attracts pollinators by mimicking rotting meat is about to flower in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. (Video first published January 1, 2020)

The smell of rotting flesh will soon emanate from a conservatory at Christchurch's Botanic Gardens as a rare tropical plant blooms.

For the first time, Christchurch's amorphophallus titanum known as the corpse flower, has begun its flowering sequence, which happens just once every seven to 12 years.

Once in full bloom the flower will give off a strong odour, often likened to the smell of rotting meat. The smell is designed to attract pollinators.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF The plant has been grown at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens since 2008 and this is the first time it has flowered.

Christchurch Botanic Gardens director Wolfgang Bopp said the plant was still in the early flowering stages and it was hard to predict exactly when it would be in full bloom, but he expected it to happen in the next few days.

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The flower will only last about 24 to 36 hours before withering away. The plant will then become dormant for up to four months.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Christchurch Botanic Gardens collection curator Dean Pendrigh and the corpse flower, which will emit a rotting flesh odour when it fully blooms in the next few days.

"It's really fantastic to see it in flower. You won't want to take a full whiff of it."

The plant, which is native to Sumatra, has been grown as a tuber at the botanic gardens since 2008. This will be the first time it has flowered here.

Bopp said the plant spends years storing up enough energy to produce the flower.

LAWRENCE SMITH/STUFF The corpse flower (amorphophallus titanum) comes to life in Auckland's Wintergardens in 2015.

"It puts on more growth and weight every year. It builds up energy year after year and then flowers and then practically exhausts itself."

When it was repotted earlier this year, the tuber weighed 14.3 kilograms.

Gardens collection curator Dean Pendrigh said he had not smelt this variety of corpse flower, but had smelt other smaller ones before.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Amorphophallus titanum, known as the corpse flower, is about to fully bloom inside Cuningham House at Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

"The whole house will stink, at least one end of it.

"They smell rancid, like a dead carcass. It's a really horrible smell, like rotting meat."

The corpse flower can be seen inside Cuningham House, which is open between 10am and 4pm seven days a week.

A plant of the same variety is about to flower at Auckland Domain's Wintergarden and another at the Dunedin Botanic Gardens flowered in 2018.