The Nashville Zoo is bracing for a stink wave as a rare gargantuan flower prepares to unfurl its petals. Known as the corpse flower for its distinctive aroma of decomposing flesh, the Amorphophallus titanum or titan arum will soon bloom within the friendly confines of the Zoo's HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center. This massive plant, affectionately called Zeus, can grow over eight feet tall and is on temporary loan from Austin Peay State University due to storm damage to its usual greenhouse home.

The Zoo is inviting visitors to witness and sniff this pungent spectacle that Zeus, a 12-year-old titan arum, provides as it enters its second blooming cycle since 2022. According to the FOX 17 report, this malodorous affair is a short one, lasting just 1-2 days. However, the Zoo has set up a live camera feed for those who prefer to experience the odoriferous event from a distance.

As one of the world's most colossal flowers, the corpse flower is a marvel not just for its size but also for its bizarre life cycle. "Each year, the plant dies and regrows again from a giant corm (tuber)," stated the Nashville Zoo in a media release obtained by APSU News. After several seasons of growth and dormant spells, it finally sprouts a magnificently repulsive bloom. It's not just for show, though; the reek it exudes is a dinner bell for carrion flies and beetles, the main pollinators of this wondrous plant in its native habitat of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Zeus's unscheduled visit to the Nashville Zoo is due to recent storms that damaged Austin Peay State University’s Department of Biology’s greenhouse. Dr. Karen Meisch, dean of the College of STEM at Austin Peay, expressed gratitude for the flower's interim accommodation, telling APSU News, "We are thrilled that the Nashville Zoo will host Zeus until our greenhouse is repaired." The Nashville Zoo, with a track record of caring for these unusual plants, having seen one of Zeus's siblings, Carmen, bloom in 2020, promises to be an excellent custodian until he can return to campus.