The Yellow Rose of Texas…Not.

Remember the Amorphophallus Titanum? You would if you’d ever gotten a whiff of one. The plant, whose name literally translates to “Giant Misshapen Penis,” is as infamous as its close cousin, the stinking corpse lily (Rafflesia Arnoldii), for its distinctive floral bouquet reminiscent of decomposing flesh.

A rare specimen of the exotic plant is currently raising quite a stink at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Because the titanum blooms briefly only once every few years, the museum decided yesterday to stay open 24 hours a day until Lois (that’s the flower, named after a former employee’s mother) bursts into odiferous bloom, an occurrence which will last only about 8-10 hours and has kept throngs of museum visitors waiting anxiously for days.

“I’m really excited and anxious to see it and smell it, but it’s nature and we can’t rush that,” says staff horticulturalist Zac Stayton, who brought his sleeping bag with him to work and said he does not plan on going home until the the 5-foot-tall bud opens, which is expected no later than tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. “This is the price you have to pay for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”