One of the world's stinkiest flowers blooms in Belgium

You might want to hold your nose for this story.

One of the world's smelliest flowers - called Titan Arum - has bloomed at a botanical garden in north-western Belgium.

The mighty plant is also nicknamed the 'corpse flower' because its smell has been compared to rotting meat or dog poo.

According to experts, seeing the stinky plant fully open is a rare event as it only flowers for around one or two days, once every few years.

Experts at Ghent University Botanical Gardens in Belgium announced that one of their Titan Arum plants - nicknamed Sumatra - has reached full bloom for the first time in three years.

The corpse flower - or Titan Arum to give it its proper name - is usually found in rainforests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The huge flowers can grow up to around three metres tall and generally only flower once every few years.

As it opens, it starts to release its stench in order to attract pollinators such as flies and beetles.

Around one or two days later, the flower then starts to collapse and closes up again.

It is an endangered species, and because it flowers so rarely, each bloom is an exciting moment for botanists and plant lovers alike.

With such a short flowering time, the event attracts visitors from far away in order to catch a glimpse of the giant plant before it closes again.

Experts say that plant is already 2.29 metres tall, but it is expected to continue to grow.

Marjan Doom, Director of the Botanical Garden explained: "Warm weather is forecast for the coming days, which will speed up its growth.

"The flowering period lasts just 72 hours, or two evenings. Short but sweet," she added.