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Have you ever picked a flower out of a garden? Ever put your nose to a flower to inhale the sweet scent of it? Well you probably wouldn’t be able to do either of those things if you encountered the Amophophallus titanum flower. This flower, also known as the Titan arum, is the largest flower in the world, and it has begun to blossom in the United States. This is only the eleventh time that this giant flower has ever blossomed in the U.S. In fact, it flowers so rarely that since 1889, there have only been five flowerings in England, and ten in the U.S.

That’s until this week, at least. This particular Titan arum is under cultivation in San Marino, California, and has begun to blossom. Last Monday, botanists found that the plant had developed a 3 1/2 foot flower bud. And on Wednesday, the bud had reached a height of 4 feet 1 inch and is still growing! That’s one big flower. Take a measuring tape and pull it out to 4 feet 1 inch to see just how big this bud really is. It could even be taller than you!

The strangest thing about this gigantic flower is the smell. You’d think that this big flower would have a big smell, and you’d be right. However, the smell isn’t exactly pleasing. Instead, the oversized flower emits a smell of rotting flesh so that it will attract insects to pollinate it. In fact, the smell is so bad that many people faint when they get too close. Imagine if all flowers were like that! Thank goodness they’re not.