Scientists uncover the chemistry of the corpse flower’s potent stench
The noxious smell comes from a mixture of putrescine and sulfur compounds
The chemicals behind the intense rotting smell of the ‘corpse flower’ (Amorphophallus titanum) – a jungle plant that only blooms once every few years with a smell likened to an open grave – have been identified by scientists.
The giant flower’s foul odour is designed to attract pollinating insects, especially ‘carrion beetles’ that feed on and lay their eggs in rotting dead animals – and the new study suggests the plant has evolved to spread its stench as far as possible.