Corpse flowers bloom in Madison

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- When a rare and foul-smelling plant blooms for the first time in 12 years, you go wait in line for hours to see and smell it.

That's what hundreds of people did in Madison this week.

The Olbrich Botanical Gardens' corpse flower bloomed last week -- and it only lasts for a day or two.

So lines went out the door and stretched around the building.

There is vast agreement that the corpse flower does not smell good -- but what exactly it smells like is up for debate.

"I've heard hot garbage," said Katy Nodolf, PR and marketing manager of Olbrich Gardens. "I kinda think it does smell like hot garbage. I've heard rotting fish, rancid meat. Somebody told me potato chips, I don't get that at all but to each their own."

This is one of four corpse flowers at Olbrich. It bloomed in 2010.