Extreme Plants

The Corpse Flower, AKA Stinky Plant, is the Indonesian darling and rock star of Botanical gardens because, well, it can smell dead. The stench of smelly socks and rotting onions and fish lend to its notoriety.  Stinky Plants bloom for a couple of days within its 7 to 10 year lifespan, making it the botanical equivalent of an infrequent astronomical eclipse. Eight or more feet tall, it sports large leaves and a mottled green stem.

Amorphophallus titanium, the elegant scientific name for Stinky will only flower for a couple of days, amazing adoring fans. The blossom fragrance is a sneaky strategy for pollination, attracting flies who think they’re found a tasty dead meal. Instead, they brush against the pollen, which is male sperm, and hopefully move along to its next promising meal incidentally contacting the pistil; the lady flower parts needed for successful pollination.