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This corpse flower could be just seconds away from blooming. And you can watch it live, thanks to the New York Botanical Garden. This way, you don't have to smell its famous, disgusting odor.

Unfamiliar with this so-called "botanical phenomenon"? The giant flower, which can grow to be 8 feet high, is better known for its smell than its beauty.

There's a reason it's called a corpse flower. Here are a few descriptions of that smell:

Behind the safety of your computer screen, you can witness the 

show with less sensory assault. The botanical garden gives this rundown of what to expect:

According to National Geographic, the flower's terrible smell is meant to attract helpful dung beetles and flies.

"It makes them think there's rotten meat somewhere to lay their eggs, and then that helps the corpse flower to get pollinated," the greenhouse and garden director with the University of Wisconsin's botany department 

. "It smells bad to us, but it smells great to flies."

And the stream above isn't your only chance to watch a noisome bloom. You can also stream video of rival corpse flowers at the 

Science

This way, you don't have to smell its famous, disgusting odor, which has been compared to rotting meat. The strange "horticultural jewel" is at the New York Botanical Garden.

You can watch a rare, stinky 'corpse flower' bloom on live video

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