Behold Odora, the Corpse Flower, in full, stinky bloom at Huntington Library

Thousands of visitors flocked to The Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino on Monday as words spread like wildfires overnight: the world’s largest single-stem flower cluster is in full bloom, but only for a fleeting time.

Odora, the 26th Corpse Flower at The Huntington since 1999, commended attention not only with its imposing presence but with its pungent aroma that earned the plant its macabre nickname. Its towering upright column and outer covering unfurled...