From corpses, a dead horse, traps, suicide and resurrection, what do all these Halloween-themed things have in common? They are also found in the plant world.
Find out what each refer to below.
The Corpse Flower
While most flowers pride themselves on their aromatic smells that can rival the best perfumes in the world, the Indonesian corpse flower begs to differ. From its name, take a whiff and get a good smell of what death smells like. Botanic gardens the world over are scrambling to get a pot of this malodorous plant. Some have reported the smell to be a concoction of rotting flesh, stinky fish and smelly feet which the plant releases to attract insects which will then pollinate and spread its stinky reputation all over.
Dead Horse Arum Lily
If your nose is still up to the challenge, try the dead horse arum lily. Smelling like a rotting carcass, it smells like a feast for flies and beetles which the plant then traps and releases in the morning. Aside from the smell, the Dead Horse Arum Lily also completes the immersive experience for the insects by raising its temperature and making it feel like it really is a warm, rotting carcass of a horse. This feat also called thermogenesis.
Venus Fly Trap
From one insect-attracting plant to one which actually devours insects for food, the Venus Fly Trap from the USA is perhaps, one of the most recognizable carnivorous plants in the world. So if you have insects for pests, you may want to plant one in your garden.
Suicide Palm
At first glance, the Suicide Palm looks like your regular palm. However, a quick delve into its plant matures shows that its fate has been determined by nature. A Suicide Palm lives for a maximum of 50 years, producers flowers then quickly dies afterwards. Native to Madagascar, reports say there are only a few left and is in danger of going extinct.
Resurrection Plant
While the Suicide Palm has this existential crisis, the Resurrection Plant is on the other side of the coin. It simply refuses to die. Well, not exactly immortal but the Resurrection Plant has an adaptive and survivalist stance when confronted with extreme weather conditions. The plant intelligently shrinks in a spherical form when facing arid conditions and turns green once watered. Now that’s one plant that resurrects!
