The island of Sumatra is home to many amazing animals and plants. In addition to the largest (widest) flower in the world - Rafflesia Arnold, another giant of the flower world grows on it - Amorphophallus Titanium.
As soon as they call it “corpse lily”, “snake palm” and even “voodoo lily”, but with Latin name flower is translated as “giant shapeless phallus.”
In addition to this Indonesian island, the “corpse lily” grows in some places in the South and South-East Asia, as well as in tropical zone Africa.
For the discovery of this flower in 1878, it is worth saying “thank you” to the Italian botanist Odoardo Beciari. After this event, the lily became a landmark in many large botanical gardens around the world. The first flowering in captivity was recorded in 1889 in the Royal Botanic Garden of Great Britain. Nowadays, indoor miniature versions of this flower are grown. But the smell is still just as terrible.
The largest flower, Amorphophallus Titanium, reached a height of 3.3 meters and weighed 75 kilograms.
Its flower consists of a large calyx-petal and a pistil-cob. A dark burgundy inflorescence forms on the upper part of the cob, and the lower part is covered with many female and male flowers. Its huge petal has small grooves and a green-violet color.
The lower flowers are female, the upper ones are male 
This plant is a dormouse. It takes a long time to ripen in the form of a huge tuber weighing almost 50 kilograms. In early spring a stem-petiole begins to sprout from it. This is the first stage of flower development. At the end of the stem a single, complexly dissected leaf develops. For such a “hat” it received the name “snake palm”. Then the plant sheds it and rests - after 4 months the next stage will begin.
The main flowering does not last long, only 2-3 days. But what kind! The flower begins to emit a disgusting smell, reminiscent of rotting meat. But this is why it is attractive to pollinating insects. It's not all surprises. A flower can change its temperature. During flowering days, the cuttings heat up to 40 degrees.
After these days, the flower quickly shrinks, and top part the cob falls off. After some time, red berries appear on the lower part.
These are long-lived plants. They can live for about 40 years. But over such a long period they bloom no more than 3-4 times. Therefore, to catch it blooming - great luck. And this event becomes a real sensation.
Such as bees that drink flower nectar while the plant in turn is fertilized. But not all potential pollinators can be enticed by scent. Some flowers have developed a special scent that attracts nature's less romantic insects. For example, flies can be as good pollinators as bees, but the only difficulty is that they are not interested in sweet scents. In other words, along with many pleasant-smelling flowers, nature has also created many plants that emit a vile stench. We present to our readers nine items that should not be included in your beloved’s bouquet on Valentine’s Day.
Titan arum, corpse flower
Titan arum, nicknamed the corpse flower, has the unfortunate title of the worst-smelling flower in the world. As you can imagine, it emits the stench of a rotting corpse. But at the same time, the plant thrives in nature, since its main pollinators are flies and beetles, which prefer to lay eggs in dead flesh. In addition, the flower is truly titanic in size, it is the largest inflorescence without branches in the world; in a word, it is a large and foul-smelling splendor. The vase-like outer shell contains thousands of flowers, all of which emit a stench. The inside of the plant is the color of red meat, which adds to the resemblance to a corpse. The only one good news- This short period flowering lasts from 24 to 48 hours, while the flower blooms once every 4-6 years.
Simplocarpus stinky
The very name of the flower makes it clear that you can’t expect a scent from it. It occurs naturally in the swamps of eastern North America, and the plant attracts flies and stoneflies for pollination. One of its interesting adaptations is the ability to produce . Fever not only allows the flower to break through the layer of snow, but also helps attract pollinators by imitating the heat emitted by a fresh corpse. If your stomach can handle it, the plant is also known for its medicinal properties, used to treat asthma, epilepsy, cough and rheumatism.
Rafflesia Arnolda, corpse flower
It is the largest single flower in the world. But you can enjoy its appearance exactly until you come closer and inhale its “aroma”. The same nickname as the titan arum - corpse flower - will tell you everything you need to know about this smell. As with other foul-smelling plants, the stench emitted by rotting carrion is designed to attract flies. But despite this property, Arnold's rafflesia is considered one of the three national flowers of Indonesia, where this species is protected by law. As long as it does not emit a smell, it can be perceived as an excellent decoration. Another one positive trait: Given its size (the flower reaches 1 meter in diameter!) it is very easy to understand where the stench is coming from.
African Hydnora
Ceratonia capita
The inflorescences of Ceratonia capita may look harmless, but this is exactly the kind of tree in the shade of which you are unlikely to want to organize a picnic. Male flowers are known for producing a distinct odor of seminal fluid. Paradoxically, the achenes of this tree are highly valued because they can be crushed and used as a chocolate substitute. (Just make sure to collect them in right time of the year.)
Phalaenopsis orchid
Orchids are prized throughout the world as a family of flowering plants that have showy and intricate flowers. But the largest genus of the orchid family, called Bulbophyllum, also includes real stinkers. So the phalaenopsis orchid—a hairy pinkish-red flower from New Guinea—smells like a dead, rotting mouse. As is the case with other colors that have cadaverous smell, the purpose of this adaptation is to attract flies.
Helicodiceros flycatcher, dead horse lily
The flies swarming over this image of the Helicodicerus flycatcher flower is not an exaggeration; insects accompany this plant throughout its life. Its name is also very appropriate, as the odor emitted is reminiscent of the stench of a dead, rotting horse. Of course, it attracts flies, which ensure pollination. It’s unlikely that anyone would want to find themselves in a field of these flowers on a clear day, but what’s interesting is that their wrapper does not open on a cloudy day. The plant waits for clear and sunny skies so that the scent can spread over a long distance.
Stapelia gigantea
The fluffy blooms of this mesmerizing star-shaped plant may just grab your attention. But the stench it emits drives away observers. Stapelia gigantea is a corpse flower that emits the smell of rotting flesh. In fact, it is believed that the hairy, leather-like surface is an additional way to imitate the rotting flesh of a dead animal, which provides additional attractiveness to pollinating flies. Thanks to the pleasant appearance the flower has earned some fame among farmers. Of course, it is highly recommended to keep them outside so that fresh air can dispel the stench.
Dracunculus vulgaris
Common nicknames for this flower and its close relatives include witch lily, snake lily, stinking lily, and black dragon. This flower with unpleasant smell originally from Greece, and again its stench is similar to the smell of rotting flesh. The good thing is that it doesn’t last long, about a day, but the scent leaves behind a magnificent and unique flower. It is for this reason that it can be found far from its homeland, despite the unfortunate “aroma”.
Barsukov_Andrey
The biggest flower
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 08:22 (link)In the Belgian botanical garden, located in the city of Maize, the largest flower in the world grew and blossomed. This plant is called Titan Arum, or as people say “corpse flower”.
The plant acquired such a strange name for its disgusting smell, reminiscent of not just rotten fish, but a rotten corpse. The weight of the flower reached 18 kilograms, and it is almost 2 meters in height.
Botanical garden workers said people have only 72 hours to see the giant flower. It has a yellow pistil and is about three meters high. Those who want to watch should take a handkerchief or any other cloth with them so that they can cover their nose.
Biologists said that the flower can act as an aphrodisiac.
It was first discovered in 1878 in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. Local residents gave it this name because of its unpleasant smell.
itast
The largest flower on the planet bloomed in Belgium
Friday, July 29, 2016 10:17 pm (link)Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), or "corpse flower", which has one of the largest inflorescences in the world, bloomed in the botanical garden of the Belgian city of Meise. The blooming flower reaches a height of 1.9 meters, and its weight is about 18 kilograms.
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"Corpse flower" blooms in front of the Capitol in Washington
So far there are no such conditions in Russia, says the botanist. But we don’t need it.
Americans have witnessed an unusual phenomenon: one of the largest and most smelly flowers in the world, Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanica), bloomed near the Washington Capitol. However, before approaching the flower, it is worth acquiring protective mask or a gas mask.
Crowds of Americans are willing to pay a lot of money to see this huge flower, about two and a half meters high, bloom. But perhaps it is better to observe the blossoming plant through an online broadcast - Titan Arum is known for its terrible smell, which has been compared to rotting fish and meat, and rotten eggs. That is why the plant has another name - “corpse flower”. Journalists have previously noted that in order to approach Titan Arum during the flowering period, workers at the New York Botanical Garden had to wear gas masks. But visitors to the greenhouse are not given any protective equipment.
The specific “aroma” helps attract insects involved in the pollination process. Moreover, the smell appears precisely during the flowering period, since the temperature of the upper part of the plant begins to approach the temperature of the human body. Titan Arum blooms for two days, and on Monday it will begin to emit a stench with the greatest force. Externally, the flower is quite beautiful: the pistil of the flower resembles an ear of corn, which is surrounded by petals - yellow color on the outside and burgundy on the inside.
"Washington" Titan Arum was acquired in 2005 National Museum Nature of the Smithsonian Institution, and then transplanted from the greenhouse to the Botanical Garden on Capitol Hill.
Natural habitat of Titan Arum - rainforests Sumatra. It is noted that Titan Arum was first discovered by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1878. The history of flower cultivation dates back to 1889, when the flower was placed in the greenhouse of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK. Now Titan Arum is one of the rare plants, but it can be found in botanical gardens around the world: Indonesia, Germany, Italy, France, USA, Belgium. Titan Arum does not grow in Russia, because, as specialists from the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden of Peter the Great explained to RG, it is a very expensive and demanding plant that requires special maintenance and care. There are no such conditions in Russia yet.
This resin grows only on the high cliffs of Gibraltar and for a long time was considered a completely extinct species. But in 1994, one specimen of this plant was accidentally discovered by a climber. Now the seeds of this plant are in the Millennium Seed Bank, and the resin itself is grown in the Gibraltar Botanic Garden and in the Royal Botanic Gardens in London.
Parrot beak
A very rare plant, this flower is exactly like a parrot’s beak, which is why it got its name. Many consider it to have disappeared, although there are also enthusiasts who think differently. The homeland of this plant is Canary Islands. Their only pollinators were sunbirds, which have long since disappeared.
Chocolate space
The birthplace of this flower is Mexico, for 100 years it was considered extinct from wildlife. Nowadays, you can only find a sterile type of this plant, which was bred in 1902. Its flowers are 3-4 cm in diameter and smell like vanilla in summer.
Kokyo
Kokio is one of the rarest types of flowers that bloom on a certain species of Hawaiian tree. These trees were discovered in 1860 and already in 1950 they were declared extinct. However, 20 years later, one tree of this species was found, which, unfortunately, died during natural disaster- fires in 1978. However, one of the branches of the tree was saved and even grafted onto other Hawaiian trees.
Kadupul flower
This flower is considered very rare due to the fact that it blooms very rarely, although it is quite easy to grow. It grows on the islands of Sri Lanka, and blooms only at midnight and dies immediately after flowering. There is a belief that when a flower blooms, Nagas (semi-mythical characters) descend from heaven to earth to present this flower to Buddha.
Ghost Orchid
The ghost orchid is a very interesting and rare plant. For 20 years it was considered extinct, but has recently reappeared. Due to their rare nature, their natural reproduction is considered almost impossible. Ghost orchids do not feed like other plants, i.e. not at all from the process of photosynthesis, since they do not have leaves. The roots of the plant are nourished by a special type of fungus that attaches to the roots.
Yellow and purple venus slippers
This flower, previously widespread throughout Europe, is this moment is rare species orchids. In 1917, several specimens were found on a golf course in Great Britain. They are very expensive and the price for one shoot reaches $5,000. The initial development of these slippers is similar to the development of ghost orchids: at first, the sprout that has grown through the seed needs a special fungus with which it feeds. And only after some time the plant begins to grow its own leaves.
Yutan Poluo
A unique find and discovery of a Chinese farmer. This happened while he was cleaning steel pipes. Yutan Poluo is a flower that does not need soil and grows on any hard surface. For a very long time there was an opinion that it grows only in Buddhist temples on gold-covered Buddha statues.
Corpse Flower
The smell of this flower is as disgusting as the appearance of this Sumatran flower is rare. The height of the flowers of this plant reaches up to 2 meters. This is a very vulnerable flower, its growth depends entirely on the special vine that feeds the plant. The pollinators of this plant are flies and beetles, attracted by the smell of rotting flesh.
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The corpse flower, also called corpse lily and rafflesia, got its name because of the smell it emits, or rather, the stench. The genus itself includes 12 species of “relatives”, among which the most famous is the Arnoldi lily.
A corpse flower is not able to synthesize the organic substances it needs, therefore, like a vampire, it draws juices from others. Rafflesia chose a vine of the genus Tetrastigma (grape) as a donor. The seeds of the corpse lily, once on the vine, germinate and, sending out sucker-like seedlings, literally dig into the host plant.
The corpse flower grows slowly: the bark of the vines under which the seed develops swells only after a year and a half, resulting in the formation of a bud that matures for another nine months (the future bud). Then, sitting right on the bare ground, a huge flower blooms. Rafflesia, which resembles decaying meat in color and smell, attracts many flies (they also pollinate it). The ovary develops for another seven months. The fruit contains up to 4,000,000 seeds.
The corpse flower reproduces thanks to the help of large animals (usually elephants), which, crushing the fruit while walking, carry the seeds. However, only a few will germinate and continue such a long cycle.
The world learned about rafflesia thanks to officer Stamford Raffles and botanist Joseph Arnold, who discovered it on the island. Sumatra. When the corpse flower bloomed, it was measured and the first description was made, giving quite beautiful name, which he still wears to this day. By the way, the locals (Indonesians) called it “bunga patma”, which translated from their language means “lotus flower”. Agree, it’s also a beautiful name.
Botanists have practically no evidence left to indicate any group to which, in theory, the amazing Rafflesia belonged. The flower itself was the only organ that was preserved, but it was so hypertrophied, so specialized (meaning a specific and unique method of pollination) and modified that the place of the corpse lily in flora turned out to be impossible. Only molecular phylogenetics (DNA nucleotide sequence) could help here. But even here a number of difficulties arose. It turned out that there is an exchange of genes (horizontal) between the corpse flower and its host plant, so gene analysis gave very contradictory results. We decided to focus on the fact that Rafflesia belongs to the Malpighiales - a huge group of dicotyledons, including many families. However, the taxonomic position of this strange plant haunted American botanists and molecular biologists. They decided to undertake a large-scale study. Long and complex work led to the conclusion: Rafflesiaceae belong to the Euphorbiaceae family. However, the structure itself denied this relationship. Yes, and euphorbia flowers are small. The authors of the study agreed: the diameter of the flower has increased several dozen times! Just imagine - the weight of a corpse lily can reach 75 kg with a height of more than three meters! The uniqueness of the plant has attracted the attention of botanical gardens around the world. Of course, creating conditions for the growth and reproduction of Amorphophallus (another name) is quite difficult, but some botanists still achieve success. For example, such a corpse flower bloomed in Belgium in the city of Meise. According to employees of the botanical garden, its length is slightly less than two and a half meters, and its estimated weight is 50 kg.
Perhaps, flowers are associated with femininity, a delicate sweet aroma and summer for everyone. But Mother Nature, along with evolution, created something directly opposite to our ideas about the world of flowers. And that rotten, stinking flower that you haven’t watered for a month after you went on vacation will seem like a heavenly creature with a wonderful aroma, in comparison with the winners of our selection.
Firstly, the plants discussed below exude bad smell decomposition, putrefaction or excrement. The target "audience" of these flowers are flies, dung beetles and other insects with a perverted sense of beauty.
Secondly, this smell is only a bait, and not at all a weapon, which everyone who heard it thought of, because some of the plants are predators. Some of the “exhibits” below are also the largest on the planet.
A fleshy and succulent plant that resembles a cactus. It has no stems, but the flowers are covered with fibers, spots and look like a resident depths of the sea. This is probably why its other names are star cactus, starfish, large toad flower, etc. In Stapelia gigantea, flowers reach about 40 cm in diameter, and the greater the stench they emit - the smell of decaying flesh is so popular with flies, larvae and beetles that they crawl right into the center of the plant, where the reproductive organs are located.
This plant comes from South Africa, but many grow this stinking flower in their rock gardens or as a landscape decoration.
Gidnora with a fleshy crown grows from sandy soil in the deserts of South Africa.
While spreading the suffocating smell of death around itself, it attracts small pollinators. The beetle crawls into the very epicenter of the “aroma” through the cracks between the petals, pollinates the plant, looks for food or lays eggs.
Meanwhile, the plant itself feeds from the roots, which go deep into the soil, clinging to other people's roots. The ground part of this plant can be conditionally called a flower; in fact, it is a calyx with a rough, sand-colored outer surface. Inside, the surface of the gidnora is more delicate and changes color from white to blood-red, which also attracts various insects, but mainly carrion beetles. Also, this stinking flower is very similar to the worm from the movie Tremors.
The pale and tough integumentary tissues of the lily are covered with dark, dense hairs, which resembles peeling fur on a dead animal. The flower exudes the smell of rotting, which attracts corpses and blow flies.
On the first day of flowering, the stigmas of the pistils open, that is, the female stigmas, the flies bathe in nectar and lay offspring. The next day, the stigmas of the pistils close, the stamens open, the sticky bodies of the insects become dirty in male pollen, the smell of which encourages the insects to flee, that is, to another stinking flower. This is how cross-pollination occurs.
On cloudy days, when there are practically no insects, Helicodiceros is able to raise the temperature so that its smell spreads much further, attracting other flies. It grows in the northwestern part of the Mediterranean region.
The largest stinking flower in the world, also known as the Voodoo lily.
Grows in flat areas, preferring the tropics and subtropics of southern and western Africa, China, Madagascar, India, Nepal, etc.
It blooms once every 10 years, perhaps accumulating all its strength just for this flowering. At the age of five years, a bud begins to form; a cob-shaped inflorescence of dark burgundy color appears on the surface of the stem, which consists of male and female flowers, covered with a dense hood on top. The height of the cob is about 70 cm. Some sources claim that Amorphophallus titanum can grow up to 4 meters in height. Outside are located male flowers, and below, hidden, are female.
Polite Englishmen call the aroma emanating from plants “bad fish,” but in reality it is simply impossible to describe it in words. However, this is the smell that is needed in order to attract the insects necessary for pollination. At this time, the cob itself warms up to 40 C from the inside, this is also necessary to attract pollinators and more. Usually, the ceremonial flowering of the giant occurs in front of a crowd of tourists coming from all over the globe. The lifespan of Amorphophallus is about 40 years, but it blooms only 3-4 times in its life.
Pale yellow flowers that grow mainly around ponds and lakes. This stinking flower smells like a scared skunk. This quality is responsible for attracting pollinating insects. Other famous name This flower is skunk cabbage.
Lysichiton is also able to raise the temperature in order to survive in frosts, so that the snow around the flower melts.
Habitat: swampy areas, banks of rivers and reservoirs in North America. North American Indians They used this flower for food, boiling it several times, because when fresh, the plant causes sharp pain in the stomach. They also used it to treat various ailments.
Habitats: China, Japan, North America and Russia - on Far East. Prefers damp and damp places, flooded meadows, river banks and swamps.
The appearance of simplocarpus is very exotic, especially against the backdrop of barely melted snow. It is a burgundy, dense and leathery hood with a pointed end that hangs over a round yellow cob. It is characterized by a pungent odor that can be described as carrion with garlic, so attractive to pollinating insects.
A climbing plant with dense greenery, oval leaves and a stinking flower. Large-flowered Aristolochia has flowers about 20 cm in diameter and 50-60 cm long, exuding a strong carrion smell, which insects really like. The flowers themselves “have a secret”: when a fly decides to get out of a flower, having eaten nectar, the fibers covering the surface of the calyx prevent them from getting out. The insect flounders for a long time until it pollinates the aristocholia. The villi wither under the influence of pollen, and the fly moves on. The flowers themselves look very impressive against the background of dark green foliage - regular heart-shaped and dark burgundy color with white veins, so the plant often serves as a landscape decoration.
Flowering tree plant. During flowering, it emits the smell of organic decomposition. Pollinated by flies attracted by the smell.
The radius of the scent varies depending on the species. The flowers of Sarpanthus Palanga smell like long-dead animals, have a dark purple color and a harmless appearance.
The stinking flower of this plant exudes such an unpleasant odor that among the ancient Romans he was the god of manure, and the name of a whole species of plants with a very unpleasant odor is dedicated to him. Stinking Sterculia (Sterculia foetida) blooms only in its natural environment, spreading the smell of excrement. Flowers appear first, attracting pollinators with their scent, and only then leaves appear.
This is a mushroom that would be suitable as a setting for an alien movie.
Before the lobes open, it looks like a large egg with a heterogeneous bumpy surface, off-white in color with brown and pink spots at the base. Later, when its blades open (3-8 pieces), it takes the form of a red star-shaped flower, the petals of which look like slippery tentacles. The inside of the plant is spongy, lumpy, and covered with brown mucus. It emits a corpse-like odor that attracts insects that spread its spores.
Another mushroom whose smell can be confused with rotten meat. Popularly called a mushroom starfish. Literally translated "disgusting redness." The rotten smell attracts insects that carry its spores. Widely distributed in Australia.