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The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) is perhaps
the most
(in)famous stinky plant. Its enormous (six to eight feet)
inflorescence is astounding in its own right, but its smell
is apparently quite sickening. The plant produces these single
flowers rarely, and the prospect of a bloom is grounds for
greenhouses and conservatories to send out news releases so
that the curious—and gas mask wearing—can experience
it.
The milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae) also features
some smelly cousins. One is the Stapelia gigantea,
whose common names—carrion flower, dead horse plant—hint
at its odoriferous nature. Other flowers that have a particular
eau-de-rotting-flesh scent include the three-foot-tall dragon
arum (Dranunculus vulgaris), which looks like a maroon
calla lily on steroids and the similar but smaller voodoo
lily (Sauromatum venosum). Oddly enough, you can find
these three plants for sale through specialty nurseries.
Parasitic plants, which rely on another plant for nutrients
or water, can also be kind of creepy because they grow on
or inside their hosts. One notable parasitic plant, the Rafflesia
arnoldii, is also a member of the stinky-plant society
and produces the world's largest flower to boot. It lives
as a network of cells inside its host, a vine from the grape
family. It blooms every once in a while by forming a lump
that emerges from the bark of the vine and opens into a massive
flower up to three feet in diameter. The flower's "perfume"
attracts pollinators such as carrion beetles.
So why not ditch the Halloween pumpkin this year and instead
decorate the front porch with a collection of Venus flytraps,
sundews and pitcher plants featuring insects in various stages
of entrapment and digestion? Or, if you are a misanthrope,
consider stocking up on stinky plants—one or two outside
the house should do the job of repelling the neighborhood
trick-or-treaters.
Lorri MacKay
Master Gardener
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