THE STENCH!

Once the flower is open, the critter is ready to do what it does best - STINK! The smell of Amorphophalus is usually described as the odor of rotten flesh. The beast here, Sauomatum venosum, has an odor that is closer to the smell of very strong fecal matter. My friends often ask me why I like to raise these plants. It is certainly not for the smell, but for the exotic and strange blooms.

These plants may have very unpleasant orders, but there is a very important reason they produce such a vile smell. These wonderful plants are pollinated by flies.

We could not stand the smell in the house, so I placed the beast outside of the deck. You guessed it! Flies arrived attracted by the smell. I do not mean just a few flies, but a plethora of the insects. The plant knows what it is doing! (Well, maybe not know, but exhibits a great adaptation to assure pollination.)