New Delhi: Flowers are known to spread a sweet fragrance which fills up with joy and peace. But there is one flower on this planet that walks in the opposite direction in this regard. Carrion flowers, also known as corpse flowers, emit a fragrance that smells like rotting flesh. Also, the flowers display some characteristics that contribute to the mimesis of a decaying corpse. Mostly scavenging flies and beetles are attracted to those flowers as pollinators and there are some flowers which trap them for some time to ensure the pollen is gathered and transferred.
Plants which are called carrion flowers
Carrion flowers are not the name of one plant, but many. Many plants belonging to the genus Amorphophallus are called carrion flowers. One of them is Titan arum containing the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. It presents a compound flower instead of a single flower. It contains a mechanism that heats the spadix which increases the emission of the strong odor of decaying meat which in turn attracts its pollinators, carrion-eating beetles and flesh flies.
The case of Rafflesia
Flowers which bloom on plants belonging to the genus Rafflesia emit a smell which is very much like meat that is decaying. It attracts the flies that pollinate. There is R. arnoldii, which is the largest single bloom on earth and is found in the Sumatra and Borneo rainforests. It is a parasitic plant with no visible leaves, roots, or stems. The plant does not photosynthesize but rather uses the host plant to obtain water and nutrients.
Those plants that belong to the genus Stapelia are also known as carrion flowers. These small, spineless plants which are succulent-like cactus are found in South Africa and are grown as potted plants. Their flowers emit the smell of rotten flesh and even their flowers look like rotting meat which attracts scavenging flies for pollination. Here, mention must be made of orchids which belong to the genus Bulbophyllum that produce flowers with strong scent. The odours which smell like urine, dung and blood attract flies for pollination. Bulbophyllum fletcherianum, Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis and Bulbophyllum beccarii emit an odour which smells like a herd of dead elephants. The smell is so pungent that it makes it difficult for some to walk into a greenhouse in which they bloom.
Carrion flowers are not the name of one plant, but many. Many plants belonging to the genus Amorphophallus are called carrion flowers and all of them emit odor which is, well, extremely pungent. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
