The Corpse Flower

I actually saw one of these giant Arums bloom years ago in NYC. The largest flower and the stinkiest ever! The smell is overpowering! I have a few of the smaller relatives of this plant which I have been raising for years. The classification of this plant is disputed, it is now thought to be an Arum. I have a few African Stapelias...one in particular is called the Giant Hairy Toad Flower and Orbras. The Giant Hairy Toad flower is very cool, it has huge chartreuse green blossoms with deep magenta stripes is covered with fine long magenta hairs....the center is five shiny blood colored bead like thingies...It smells like a dead mouse and is pollinated by flies. These plants all have evolved in parts of the world where there are no bees, so they have evolved the characteristics of wounded and dead things...just the kind of stuff flies love! This series of GIFs was of a recent bloom at the Huntington Gardens Conservatory in Los Angeles.

My Fragrant Giant Hairy Toad Stapelia!

My Orbea Variegata in bloom. Not as big or as smelly....