Many plants attract the attention of a wide variety of insects and people with their charming beauty and juicy aroma. But it so happened that in nature there are species with a rather unpleasant, even disgusting, smell.
After reading this article, you can learn about the name of the most smelly flower in the world and what it is. We will also talk about what other flowers with unpleasant odors exist. Below are descriptions of some of the more eye-catching ones.
General information
The main feature of some plants is an unpleasant smell. By the way, in nature there are specimens whose appearance corresponds to the piquant smell given to them by nature: sometimes such flowers look like pieces of spoiled meat. However, among them, oddly enough, there are surprisingly beautiful, original representatives.
The following are unusual plants that belong to the group of the most smelly flowers in the world. By the way, many of them, in addition to the unique smell, are also huge.
The smelliest plant
By right, this flower can be attributed to the list of plants with the most unpleasant odor. Its feature inthat he is very large.
What is the name of the smelly flower? On the islands of Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java, the original arnoldi rafflesia, also known as the corpse lily, grows. This amazing plant consists of only one flower. In addition, it has neither roots nor leaves. This relic has no analogues in the whole world.
The flower is also remarkable for its amazing colorfulness. It consists of rather fleshy, thick petals of rich red color with outgrowths of white shades in the form of warts. Undoubtedly, rafflesia is not only a beautiful smelly flower. It is also the largest in the world, because its diameter reaches 2 meters, and its average weight is 11 kilograms.
Essentially, it is a parasitic plant. Not every person manages to admire such a miracle, because it is really a rare flower. It grows only in the tropical forests of Malaysia, and even there there are practically no specimens left. But the main reason for the impossibility to admire this unique plant for some time is completely different - its terrible aroma.
Not many agree that this most smelly flower is beautiful. But the concept of "beauty", as you know, is relative. The aroma of rafflesia is reminiscent of the smell of rotting meat. This property of the flower attracts a huge number of insects, for example, flies.
What is it for? The plant does not feed on insects, but uses them in this way for pollination. A fly crouched on a flower, falling in pollen, flies to the same plant - this is what happenspollination. An interesting fact is that the seeds of the plant are distributed by elephants.
Amorphophallus titanum
Many amorphophallus plants also emit a rather unpleasant odor, but some of them emit odors, for example, reminiscent of spices or chocolate.
There is one type of amorphophallus that gives off a terribly unpleasant smell of feces or rotten meat. This is a smelly flower - amorphophallus titanum, which is also the tallest flower in the world. In height, it can reach 3 meters. Its other name is "corpse flower". Its usual diameter is 50 centimeters, and its weight is about 50 kilograms.
Titanic Amorphophallus grew until recently exclusively in the forests of the tropics of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia), but with the advent of man in the wild, it almost disappeared. Now it can be seen in botanical gardens around the world. Flowering lasts only one to two days, during which a terrible fetid smell hovers around the plant, more reminiscent of the smells of rotten fish and eggs.
Dracunculus vulgaris
This smelly flower is one of the first among its kind. Common Dracunculus is a perennial herbaceous plant, quite widespread in the territories of Southern Europe (Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Albania, France, Italy and France).
It grows up to 2 meters high. This species is characterized by a large purple inflorescence, having a length of 25-135 centimeters. The smell of a flowerreminiscent of the stench of carrion and excrement.
Giant Stapelia
This undersized plant comes from Africa (southeast of the continent). Its height is 20 cm, its diameter is 35 cm. The smell of the flower, which attracts mainly flies, also resembles rotting meat.
This flower is also grown indoors. Yes, such a smelly home flower can be seen in the collections of many lovers. By the way, a plant with such original inflorescences is an unusual addition to the design of many interiors.
Stapelia is a succulent, like a cactus. Its flowers are covered with hairs, usually have a brownish color.
African Hydnora
Another smelly flower called "gidnora" grows in the deserts of South Africa. The whole plant consists of only one flower. It appears above the dried sandy desert earth after the rains, emitting the scent of excrement.
This is a parasitic plant that leads an unusual and strange underground life, feeding on other plants. Its roots penetrate deep underground, where they cling to the root systems of neighboring plants. This is how it extracts nutrients and water for itself.
Its flower is orange, fleshy, reaching 10-15 centimeters in length. Although it emits a terrible fetid smell, its seeds and fruits are eaten by some animals (porcupines, jackals, etc.) and local residents.
Giant Aristolochia
Giant aristolochia also belongs to the list of bad-smelling plants. She comes from South America.
Grows in Panama and Brazil, rarely in Colombia. The red flower emits a rather pungent, fetid odor that all vacuum cleaners are familiar with. By the way, this fragrance attracts bees and other insects.
The plant is often grown in botanical gardens. It is often referred to as the Giant Pelican Flower. Many of its varieties have unusual insect traps. This flower is one of the largest and most bizarre on earth.
American Lysichiton
Another stinky flower blooms in early spring (sometimes even late winter). Lysychiton americana is a perennial plant that grows along streams and rivers in wet riparian forests, as well as swamps and other areas of high humidity. Their place of distribution is North America (west of the Pacific coast).
Plant height - 30-40 centimeters. Lysichiton is quite often used in landscape design.
Simplocarpus
Short, foul-smelling plant grows in wetlands in the lower reaches of the Amur and Primorye rivers. They can be found in North America, Japan, and Sakhalin.
Often this plant is called swamp cabbage, skunk cabbage (oriental) and many other similar names.
Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis
Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis is said to have the most unpleasant odor. This original flower is one of the varieties of orchids. The plant is native to New Guinea. This flower, despite the rather unpleasant smell, reminiscent of rotting meat, is often grown at home as a houseplant.
Although many people associate flowers with pleasant fragrance and beauty, in the world, as we see, there are a huge variety of plants that have a delightful appearance, but exude a repulsive unpleasant smell. All this was created by almighty nature for an easier way to attract pollinators to flowers.
