"We're really concerned about it, because it hasn't lived up to the predictions," said Holly Shimizu, the executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden. "I'm sort of distressed about it!"

But those extra days haven't detracted from the public's interest in the flower. Each day, tourists and botanists alike continue to flock to the atrium, hoping to catch a glimpse—or whiff—of the petulant plant.

The corpse flower is not your average daisy. For one, it towers over most other blooms, reaching heights as tall as an NBA basketball hoop. It rarely blooms, only once every six to ten years, and when it does, it is a force to be reckoned with.

"It reeks," said Roberta Gutman who has been volunteering at the Botanic