A slideshow about the most smelliest flowers in the world.

1. The World’s 12
Smelliest Plants

2. Rafflesia is a catch-all encompassing
approximately 28 species of parasitic flowering
plants. Due to its outstanding size and at-times
overpowering smell, Rafflesia has become the
poster child for so-called “corpse flowers” and has
been used to advertise tourist attractions featuring
it. With most species of Rafflesia, the huge flower
is the only visible part of the plant as the tropical
vines it parasitizes conceal the five-petaled
flower’s root. Credit Flickr user shankars with the
above photographs of a blooming Rafflesia flower
in Kota Kinabulu, Malaysia.

3. The Maiden Veil Stinkhorn (Phallus indusiatus)
is one type of “stinkhorn” mushroom which, like
most foul-smelling plants, attracts flying insects
as a means of spreading its spores (or in the case
of flowering plants, pollen). This odd yet
delicately beautiful fungus concentrates its
pungent attractant on the mushroom’s cap –
when flies land on the cap, the sticky spore-
containing slime adheres to the bug’s legs and is
thus spread to the next fungi on the fly’s journey.
Flickr users K Fletcher & D Baylis snapped the
Maiden Veil Stinkhorn above in a lowland
rainforest region of Panay, the Philippines.

4. Hoodia is a cactus-like succulent plant native to southern
Africa. About 25 distinct species comprise the Hoodia
genus and all are considered to be borderline-endangered
due to their extreme habitat in arid desert climes.
Another threat to Hoodia comes from interest by
pharmaceutical companies into the plant’s natural
appetite-suppressant properties; recognized many
centuries ago by the region’s native San people. Flickr
user Geir K Edland is seen with a specimen of Hoodia
gordonii in Tankwa National Park, South Africa.

5. Cuckoo-Pint (Arum maculatum) is commonly found
in European woodlands where it is known variously
as snakeshead, adder’s root, arum lily, lords-and-
ladies, devils-and-angels, cows-and-bulls, cuckoo-
pint, Adam-and-Eve, bobbins, naked girls, naked
boys, starchroot, wake robin, friar’s cowl and jack in
the pulpit. Cuckoo-Pint plants attract insects in the
spring, when the plant’s spadix emits a foul,
excrement-like odor. By autumn, the plant exhibits a
cluster of bright red berries which are poisonous,
though their acrid and unpleasant taste usually
prevents imbibers from consuming a dangerous
amount. Flickr user Alistair Rae captured a Cuckoo-
Pint’s tempting berries while in Essex, England.

6. The Carrion Flower (Orbea variegata) may
look pretty but don’t lean in for a sniff…
you’ll regret it, unless you’re a blowfly or
other insect attracted to the odor of rotting
meat. Some of these plants (and their relatives
of the Stapelia genus) are so good at imitating
the aroma of carcasses, the flies they attract
will often lay their eggs directly onto the
flower – not great for the flies but good
enough for the flowers! Flickr user Leonora
(Ellie) Enking brings us the lovely “Starfish
Flower” above. “This is not actually part of
the Manor Nursery collection,” explains
Enking, “this one lives at my house (in
southern England). Boy, does it smell!”

7. The Titan Arum Lily (Amorphophallus
titanum) has also been described as the
world’s largest flower, although much of its
size extends vertically as opposed to the more
horizontal Rafflesia flower. The two big
stinkers have another thing in common: both
are native to the rainforests of Indonesia. The
spectacular Titan Arum Lily above is, like
many others of its kind, resident to a
greenhouse far from its native land – in this
case, the Berkeley Botanical Gardens in
Oakland, California. Flickr user Jason
Morrison snapped the truly titanic Titan Arum
Lily there in July of 2008.

8. Native to Australia and known variously as the
Starfish Fungus, Anemone Stinkhorn, and Sea
Anemone Fungus Aseroe rubra is pretty much a
Stinkhorn without the horn… though it
definitely retains the stink! Flies attracted to the
fungi’s nose-wrinkling reek derive nourishment
from the icky slime exuded by the mature
mushroom; then spread its spores when they
visit other members of the species. Flickr
user David Midgely snapped the brilliant
Starfish Fungus above in his very own
backyard garden on November 30th, 2007

9. Don’t be put off by the Voodoo Lily’s latin
name of Dracunculus vulgaris, this relative
of the much larger Titan Arum Lily has
other ways to put you off… your lunch!
This native of southeastern Europe displays
a beautiful purple coloration when mature
but its main attraction is to flies, courtesy of
the very unpleasant odor it emits. Flickr
user Alwyn Ladell snapped the luscious
Voodoo Lily above in Dorset, UK, in July of
2012.

10. Residents of and visitors to America’s Pacific
Northwest have probably seen the lovely blooms
of the Yellow Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton
americanus), though its the plant’s vile smell that
will likely remain in their memories. Clusters of
these plants have been known to wide areas with
their pungent funk. Though edible if prepared
properly, Yellow Skunk Cabbage contains needle-
like crystals of Calcium Oxalate that can be very
irritating. Bears, on the other hand, will seek out
and eat these plants after hibernating due to their
laxative qualities. Credit Flickr users Mount
Rainier National Park and Max East for the
images above

11. The striking Pelican Flower (Aristolochia
grandiflora) is one of the world’s largest flowers
as well as one of the smelliest – odd how those
two characteristics often go together. In any case,
the Pelican Flower grows on vines and the
flowers can measure up to 8″ wide and up to 2
feet long, including their “tails”. Though native
to the Caribbean region, Pelican Flowers have
been introduced to Florida as their unpleasant
aroma attracts butterflies as well as common
flies. Flickr user naturgucker.de snapped this
cluster of Pelican Flowers in January of 2013.

12. Bulbophyllum beccarii is one of the largest
orchids but sadly for some, it’s also one of the
worst-smelling. This Borneo native has no
roots as such; instead, its large bowl-shaped
leaves collect debris from taller rainforest
plants and digest the products of its decay. The
plant’s flowers are clusters of tiny flowers
which collectively exude the odor of rotting
meat in order to attract pollinating flies.
Flickr user Scott Zona photographed the above
majestic specimen in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
on January 3rd of 2008.

13. There are about 40 species in the Huernia
genus of stem succulent desert plants, of
which Huernia zebrina is one of most
stunning visually. The plants grow in arid
regions of southern Africa where they have
traditionally been considered a “famine food”
by the native peoples. One wonders how they
got past the plants’ repulsive, carrion-like
aroma but hey, we did state it was a food of
last resort.
Flickr user Fermin Fdez snapped the glorious
cluster of Huernia zebrina above at the
Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura in March
of 2014.