A lily which smells like a dead hedgehog is being touted as an attraction for the Wellington Botanic Garden's Spring Festival.
The Begonia House devil's tongue lily, or amorphophallus, has been described by Botanic Garden staff as "sinister-looking" and is looking ready to flower this weekend to coincide with the start of Spring Festival.
The velvety black-maroon lily looks beautiful but smells of "essence of dead hedgehog" Botanic Garden staff say.
The lily originates from South-east Asia, though one variety is native to Australia.
Every year in late spring it pushes up a single, spotted leaf stem. The leaf, nearly as wide as it is tall, then collapses in autumn.