Carrion Flower

Carrion flowers, also known as corpse flowers or stinking flowers, are mimetic flowers that emit an odor that smells like rotting flesh. Apart from the scent, carrion flowers often display additional characteristics that contribute to the mimesis of a decaying corpse. Carrion flowers have thick four-sided grooved stems, often coloured or covered with outgrowths. The plants lack true leaves but have scales or spines. The flowers have purple, red, or yellow bars and markings and are often hairy or textured. The fruit is a follicle. 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.

Location: southern Africa