Plant Portraits 9. Big Stink in the Jungle

  (Note images in this series were generated with the assistance of modern AI tools. No actual human individuals are portrayed here. See the first installment of the series for further explanation)

 

 Not all that pleases the eye pleases the nose. Foul-smelling flowers attract flies and other insects that feed on rotting flesh. The stapeliads of Africa are of this nature, but the most spectacular examples are found in Indonesia. 

A family of the Kubu (Orang Rimba) indigenous group of Sumatra passes by the giant flowers of Rafflesia arnoldii, which is emitting a foul odor that mimics rotting flesh in order to attract carrion flies. The genus Rafflesia contains 41 species, and R. arnoldii has the largest of all flowers, measuring up to 40 inches in diameter.

 

A family of the Serampas ethnic group of Sumatra, dressed for a festive occasion, has encountered a rare bloom of the giant Titan Arum in the forest, on their way to another village. Being a member of the Aroid family (Araceae) the giant bloom of Amorphophallus titanum is not a single flower, but an inflorescence of many tiny flowers on a central spadix surrounded by a large spathe. The top part of the spadix is sterile, and functions to emit a an odor of rotting flesh, similar to that of the unrelated Rafflesia. Amorphophallus contains some 170 species with varied floral odors that reflect the tastes of particular pollinators. The Serampas people are models of forest management, growing a variety of sustainable forest products and have been designated by the Indonesian government as protectors of the rain forest within their traditional territory. 

A stink of a different sort is found in the fruits of the genus Durio (Malvaceae). Durian fruits have various, mostly disagreeable, odors, but tasty fruits. Orangutans and bats are attracted to the smell, knowing from experience that a tasty treat awaits them,  and serve as dispersal agents for the fruit. The foul odors perhaps discourage less intelligent, smaller animals, who would be unable to disperse the relatively large (one inch) seeds, from feeding on the fruits.