Hold onto your noses, folks! A rare event is taking place at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, and it’s one you absolutely shouldn’t miss — unless you actually value your sense of smell. Meet Putricia, the corpse flower that smells like someone dumped a gym bag full of dirty laundry into a landfill and forgot about it. This magnificent floral diva has thousands of folks lining up, not just to take a gander at her floral glory but also to bask in her delightful aroma that can be best described as “putrid chic.”

Putricia, or as I like to call her, the Kardashian of the plant world, recently drew crowds that would make any rock star jealous. With a history of blooming only once every 7-10 years (because who doesn’t love a drama queen?), her recent stint has gotten fans sprinting to the gardens — 20,000 of them, to be exact — and that’s no small feat in traffic-crazed Sydney.

So why the obsession with this odorous flora? Born Amorphophallus titanum (because science can be so fancy), the plant originated in the Sumatran rainforest. But it’s truly Putricia’s unique scent — likened to rotting flesh and rancid garbage — that is bringing people to their knees in euphoric wonder. Seriously, if the planet could smell, it would smell like Putricia on a hot summer’s day. Who knew that decay could attract such a following?

Fans have ascended to cult-like status, dubbing themselves Putricians — complete with a backstory that includes a gothic display fit for a horror flick. Picture velvet ropes, red carpets, and even papal-like selfie opportunities, all while holding your breath. And as if that wasn’t enough, garden staff have decided to host a live stream of the blooming drama, because nothing says modern-day celebrity like watching a flower slowly explode with scent and reach viral fame.

Commentators on social media have swapped stories and hashtags, bonding over acronyms like WWTF (We Watch The Flower) and WDNRP (We Do Not Rush Putricia). Some are even claiming that her putrid aroma is a metaphor for their daily grind — a fragrant reminder of life’s inherent messiness. With her bouquet of drama and crowds of fans, Putricia is proving that even a smelly flower can make waves (or rather, a stench) in a world of influencers.

As waves of Putricians attempt to get close to their floral heroine, we’re left wondering: Are we collectively yearning for the oddball beauty that boldly flaunts its flaws, or have we simply lost our minds in the quest for viral moments? Either way, one thing’s for sure: Putricia is here to stay, and she’s stinking up the internet — one bloom at a time.