Seeing the word "flower" conjures images of brightly colored and fragrant flowers using their nectar to lure butterflies or bees to pollinate them. But there are some flowers that not only have an unpleasant flesh yellow and thick hair, but also have a "repelling" smell, these flowers are commonly called carrion flowers.
Unlike the fragrant flowers, carrion flowers emit a foul odor, some smell like feces, some smell like rotten meat, and some even smell like dead bodies. However, insects like flies that feed on feces, carrion, and other organic matter have a hard time resisting the "wonderful" smell of carrion flowers, which is why carrion flowers smell bad: they attract carrion-loving beetles and flies for them pollination. Some carrion flowers have additionally evolved a pattern of spots that imitate swarms of flies to increase their attractiveness to flies.
Where does the smell of carrion flowers come from? Scientists have not yet found the final answer, but they have made some discoveries. The odor of some carrion flowers comes from putrescine and cadaverine. Putrescine is formed from arginine and ornithine by decarboxylation; cadaverine is derived from ornithine and lysine. The smell of rotten eggs is so pungent because the proteins in them rot, creating these two amines. Putrescine and cadaverine are detected in our noses even at concentrations of 5 to 10 parts per billion. In addition, some carrion flowers mainly emit volatile dimethyl low sulfide, which is a very unpleasant substance found in rotten eggs and animal feces.
Carrion flower that "can only get in and out"
Generally, flowers provide nectar to insects in return for spreading pollen. However, some carrion flowers not only don't pay the pollen-transmitting insects, but also "shut up" the insects for a few days, so that they can be covered in pollen. For example, the pipe flower of the European Dutch, it is a carrion flower of the genus Aristolochia, named after its shape resembling a Dutch pipe in the 17th century.
When the Dutch pipe blooms, its tubular flowers stand upright, the bottom lumen swells, and it emits an unpleasant odor. The tube has a smooth wall and is covered with down-side down hairs, a double measure to ensure that pollinators don't escape, and it doesn't stop those insects from getting in.
Insects attracted by the odor are held captive in the lumen for several days, during which time the Dutch pipe provides nectar to keep the insects alive. After a few days, when the pollen in the anthers of the Dutchman's pipe has been released, the villi on the walls of the pipe will wither and the entire flower will be tilted horizontally to release the trapped insects and allow them to complete their pollination.
Some carrion flowers don't lock up insects, but they in turn charge "benefits" to pollinators. The starfish flower of the Rhododendron family is "as its name suggests", and its appearance is similar to a starfish. The flowers are red or fleshy yellow in color, and up to 20-25 cm in diameter. They are covered with dense fluff visible to the naked eye and emit a foul smell to attract flies to help them pollinate. The starfish doesn't "imprison" flies, but its strong stench, dense fluff, and slightly wet surface can trick flies into thinking it's a good place to lay their eggs, which flies can then lay their offspring on. But what the flies don't know is that the surface of the starfish flower has no nutrition at all, so not only will their eggs not hatch, but they will eventually become the food of the starfish flower.
The world's largest flower is not attractive
When it comes to carrion flowers, you have to mention "Stinky Corpse Lily". Not only because of its "floral fragrance" comparable to the smell of corpses, but also because it is the largest flower in the world, with a flower diameter of 90 cm and a weight of 11 kg. Unlike most flowering plants, the corpse lily has no leaves or stems and survives by parasitizing a local vine.
In addition, the corpse lily is also known as the "giant panda of the plant kingdom" because it is now endangered and only lives in the tropical rain forests of Sumatra and Borneo in the Malay Archipelago of Asia. Fortunately, the local government has begun to take measures to protect this endangered species.
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