US (CA): Plant uses deathly odour to spread life
The corpse flower gives off an odour of rotting flesh when in bloom, which happens only two days every two to four years. The plants are native to the rain forests of central Sumatra.
While many flowers use sweet scents to attract pollinators such as bees and other insects, the foul stench of the corpse flower attracts carrion beetles and flesh flies.
“You have sweet-smelling flowers; you have foul-smelling flowers,” said greenhouse manager Edward Read. “We learned this is another way that plants have evolved to attract pollinators.”
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