Everything about Carrion Flower totally explained
Carrion flowers or
Stinking flowers are flowers that emit an odor that smells like
rotting flesh. While a typical
flower may be stereotyped as a colorful, sweet-smelling structure that attracts
insects and rewards them with
pollen or
nectar, this scenario is somewhat perverted for carrion flowers because of the repulsive nature of the scent to most humans. Carrion flowers attract mostly scavenging
flies and
beetles as
pollinators. Some species may trap the
insects temporarily to ensure the gathering and transfer of pollen.
Plants known as "carrion flower"
Amorphophallus
Many plants in the genus
Amorphophallus (family
Araceae) are known as carrion flowers.
Titan arum (
Amorphophallus titanum), which has the world's largest flower head, is also called "carrion flower". Rather than a single flower, the titan arum presents an
inflorescence or compound flower composed of a
spadix or stalk of small and anatomically reduced male and female flowers, surrounded by a
spathe that resembles a single giant petal. This plant has a mechanism to heat up the spadix enhancing the emission of the strong odor of decaying meat to attract its pollinators,
carrion-eating
beetles and "flesh flies" (family
Sarcophagidae).
Rafflesia
Flowers of plants in the genus
Rafflesia (family
Rafflesiaceae) emit a repulsive odor, similar to that of rotting meat. This odor attracts the flies that
pollinate the plant. The world's largest single bloom is
R. arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the
rainforests of
Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds.
R. arnoldii is a
parasitic plant on
Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in primary rainforests with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It doesn't
photosynthesize, but rather uses the host plant to obtain water and nutrients.
Stapelia
Plants in the genus
Stapelia are also called "carrion flowers". They are small, spineless, cactus-like succulent plants. Most species are native to
South Africa, and are grown as potted plants elsewhere. The flowers of all species are hairy to varying degrees and generate the odor of rotten flesh. The color of the flowers also mimics rotting
meat. This attracts scavenging flies, for pollination. The flowers in some species can be very large, notably
Stapelia gigantea can reach 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter.
Smilax or Nemexia
In
North America, the herbaceous vines of the
genus Smilax are known as Carrion flowers. These plants have a cluster of small greenish flowers. The most familiar member of this groups is
Smilax herbacea. These plants are sometimes placed in the genus
Nemexia.
Scent
The sources of the flowers' unique scent isn't fully identified, partly due to the extremely low concentration of the compounds (5 to 10
parts per billion), but simple
amines present in decaying flesh, the appropriately named
putrescine and
cadaverine, are known to be present.
Dimethyl sulfides, including
disulfide and
trisulfide have been detected in
Amorphophallus.
Other plants with carrion-scented flowers
Further Information
Get more info on 'Carrion Flower'.
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