Do all flowers smell good? Not at all. Some flowers may look beautiful, but you will definitely hold your nose when you get closer to them. Because some flowers stink to attract pollinating insects like carrion flies. That is to attract pollinating insects that lay eggs in rotting materials. The following are the 5 worst smelling flowers in the world.
1. Titan Arum
The titan arum of corpse flower is the worst smelling flower in the world. The flower produces strong, horrible smell of decaying meat. The name ‘corpse flower’ derived from its strong, unpleasant smell. It is a very rare flower, bloom only for two, three days and reappear only after years. Corpse flower is also the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. One corpse flowers can be 3 meters in height.
The corpse flower has a large bract and a long spike inside it. The intense, unpleasant smell of the flower comes from its spike. The bract of corpse flower has two different colors – deep green on outside and dark red on inside. The large corpse flowers bloom in just a couple of hours. The foul smell of the flower last for 12 hours. The intense smell of the plant also attracts pollinators like carrion flies.
2. Rafflesia Arnoldii
The Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest individual flower in the world. This parasitic plant can only found in rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. It is a leafless and rootless plant. The Rafflesia arnoldii is known for its strong decaying flesh like smell. This plant is also known as ‘corpse flower’ because of its worst smell. One Rafflesia arnoldii can be 1 meter diameter and 11 kg in weight. The worst smell of Rafflesia arnoldii attracts carrion flies for pollination.
3. Hydrona Africana
Hydrona Africana is an unusual parasite plant native to Southern Africa. The plant grows underground and only the flower can see above the ground. The plant is parasitic on Euphorbia plants. It has such an unusual physical appearance that one would never say it is a plant. It looks astonishingly similar to fungi, and is only distinguishable from fungi when the flower has opened. The Hydrona Africana flower is tubular and three thick openings. The outer part of the flower is brown and the inner part is bright orange. The Hydrona Africana has a fragrance like feces. This unpleasant smell attracts dung beetles and carrion beetles for pollination.
4. Bulbophyllum Phalaenopsis
The Bulbophyllum Phalaenopsis is the worst smelling orchid in the world. It is native to New Guinea island. It’s fragrance as worst as rotting meat. The bulbophyllum phalaenopsis is one of largest orchids in the world and bloom year around. The hairy, pinkish-red flowers app eras in clusters. In addition to the intense, unpleasant smell this orchid is also known for its long leaves, can reach up to a length of 4 feet.
5. Dragon Arum
The dragon arum is an impressive plant that found in rocky and hilly areas of the Mediterranean basin. The plant is also known as black arum, snake lily, dragonwort, stink lily and vondoo lily. The plant grows to a height of 1 meter. The large, showy, maroon-purple flower appears in late spring. The flower can be 80 cm in length. But this beautiful flower smells like a rotting meat and it attracts pollinating insects. The flower also has a long tail like spike.
