It's not all about the animals at the Houston Zoo. This week, Pewtunia, a 7-year-old corpse flower, is drawing attention in the new African Forest section.

The Sumatran exotic is growing rapidly and expected to reach her stinky finest in a few days. She recently put on 4 inches in one day.

"We estimate Pewtunia to be in full bloom this weekend," zoo horticulture manager Joe Williams says. Bloom time might be a bit elusive, as fans discovered last year with Lois, the Houston Museum of Natural Science's celebrated corpse flower. Lois teased for days before completely unfurling her giant purple spathe.

The endangered corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) - aka carrion plant, titan arum or voodoo lily - emits a stinky odor akin to rotting flesh to attract pollinating carrion beetles and blowflies in the wild. In its native habitat, the flower can stand 10 feet tall and measure up to 5 feet across, one of the world's largest blooms.

The plant usually blooms when the corm weighs about 30 pounds, Williams says. Lois was about 30 pounds at bloom time. But the precocious Pewtunia is only 19 pounds and nearly 3 feet tall. She should reach at least 4 feet by bloom time, he says.

The zoo purchased Pewtunia and a 12-pound corpse flower corm two months ago. The pair join a half-dozen other Amorphophallus species growing in the zoo's 55-acre lush landscape. Approximately 4,000 exotic and native plant species help create habitats for the zoo's 6,000 exotic animals.

Zoo visitors will soon catch Pewtunia's scent before they see her at home in a large pot near the Koolookamba Cave along the Forest Walk in the African Forest, a $40 million, 6.5-acre addition that opened in December. Other native African plants in the section are a sausage tree, kapok tree, agapanthus and tropical hydrangea. The African Forest also is home to the zoo's chimps, giraffes and rhinos.

kathy.huber@chron.com