Foul Flowers of the world: Flowers that Stink

Flowers-that-StinkOur guide about stinking flowers are based in flowers found around Pune, Delhi, Bangalore city and Hyderabad city. Picture yourself standing amidst a garden full of flowers. What is the first thought that hits your mind? The cool breeze carrying the irresistibly sweet fragrance of those flowers, right? We have known this forever that flowers are made to smell delightful and look great. This is one of the major reasons why flowers make for the perfect gifting options whether you want to make someone happy or simply want to let your special someone feel loved. While there are a plethora of flowers that smell incredibly sweet, how would you feel if we told you that there are a certain flowers that stink so bad that you would want to vomit then and there? Hold your nose for we bring to you few stomach-turning flowers that will have you begging for fresh air.

TITAN ARUMTITAN ARUM- THE CORPSE FLOWER

What do you make of a flower that has been nicknamed the corpse flower? This one here carries the unfortunate reputation of being the worst smelling flower of the world. Any guesses why? Well, as the nickname suggests, this flower smells like- you must have guessed it by now- a rotting, stinking corpse. Titan Arum is not actually a single flower. This is one massive smelly bloom with a vase like exterior that contains thousands of flowers inside. If the corpse like smell was not enough, the inside of the spathe is exactly the colour of red meat for ‘added effect’. The principal pollinators of this fetid flower are flies and beetles that have the tendency of laying their eggs on dead things and the putrid smell of this bloom does attract them for this reason. Thankfully, this flower doesn’t last longer than 24 to 48 hours and blooms only once in every four to six years.

RAFFLESIA ARNOLDIIRAFFLESIA ARNOLDII

This one over here is yet another ‘corpse flower’ and it shares its nickname with Titan Arum. This flower totally lives up to the old adage “All that glitters is not gold” as it produces the largest individual flower in the world that looks quite impressive. But mind you just like the adage, this flower looks great until you get close enough to get a whiff of its extremely foul smell that is bad enough to make anybody put off their food. Rafflesia Arnoldii grows up to the height of a human body and can weigh as much as 11 kgs. Just like Titan Arum, this one too tricks flies that breed on dead bodies into pollinating it. You would be surprised by the fact that despite its unwanted odour, Rafflesia Arnoldii is one of the three national flowers of Indonesia!

STAPELIA GIGANTEASTAPELIA GIGANTEA

A look at this flower and you are one hundred per cent going to be fascinated by its star-like appearance. The tempting appearance of Stapelia Gigantea is good enough to attract you towards it but once you get close enough, its stench smell is sure to drive you hundreds of kilometres away from it. Flies are the predominant pollinators of this flower too given to its foul odour. Unlike other flowers on this list, this flower is popular among the cultivators due to its savory look. However, the cultivators make sure that Stapelia Gigantea is planted outdoors in a huge area that has enough air to weaken this flower’s foul smell.

Bulbophyllum_phalaenopsisBULBOPHYLLUM PHALAENOPSIS

Orchids are known world over as one of the most diverse group of plants that produce the most exotic and sought after blooms. Wait most sought after blooms? You might want to rethink this after learning about this particular Orchid flower. Bulbophyllum, the largest genus of Orchids is also known to contain some real stinkers. Yes, it is true! Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis, a hairy, pinkish-red flower is nothing even close to spectacular or intricate as is the case with most of the Orchids. Not only does it look weird, this particular Orchid smells like a dead, rotting mice. This flower, like most of the other flowers on this list, attracts flies as its pollinators.

 

We are all aware of the unquestionably sweet smelling flowers of the world that do have the ability to lure in pollinators such as bees to sip on the sweet nectar of these flowers while the plant gets fertilized. However, nature has also designed its fair share of flowers that waft a funkier stench. These plants have evolved such specialized smell to attract some of the nature’s not-so-romantic insects such as flies that make effective pollinators, just like bees, but are not attracted to sweet smells. The aforementioned flowers were just few of the world’s stinkiest blooms and there is more to the list. All you need to keep in mind is to never ever even accidentally include these flowers in your next bouquet to your beloved unless you want to finish it off with them!