Even before the daffodils are out, the world's worst smelling plant, the Titan Arum, has bloomed earlier than expected at Cornwall's Eden Project in Britain.

The plant has a pungent and highly offensive stench, which is repellent to humans but captivating for insects. The earlier than expected growth in the Humid Tropics Biome is attributed to high temperatures in 2006 and this year's lack of cold.

The "plant corpse" as it is generally referred to, is about 45cm but is growing every day. The gardeners are expecting it to eventually reach 3 meters.

BBC quotes Humid Tropics Biome curator Don Murray as saying that it is one of the earliest times when the plant has bloomed outside the tropics.

"We are very excited the Titan is starting to flower at this time of the year," Murray said.