Re: Rotten Meat Scented Flowers

Krzysztof Kozminski wrote:
There is no such thing as "Arum dracunculoides", and the proper name of another arum mentioned by Trevor is Arum palaestinum (not that smelly, compared to Arum dioscoridis, or Helicodiceros muscivorus which is known as 'dead horse arum', and for a good reason :-).
Further fly-attracting members of the Araceae can be found among the species of Amorphophallus which are certainly the most spectacular of the family, but most of which are really only at home in tropical climates or specialist Botanic Gardens.

Stapeliads are another smelly group. in fact one of their names is Carron Flower. Where I lived in Kenya several were common on the plains around Nairobi, almost always growing under bushes to get a bit of shade. They transplanted fairly easily, growing happily in full sun at a higher altitude, and I grew several of the smaller ones on my rockery as they were very decorative, especially one called the Persian Carpet Plant (Edithcolea grandis) with an elaborate brown pattern on the petals..(The odd genus name was after a Lady in Waiting at Government house whose name was Edith Cole!).

These mostly small species had little smell, but a much larger one my father grew (about 2ft high if I remember correctly) had a very distinct and unpleasant "pong" and was sited well away from the house.

Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
NEW PICTURES AND DIAGRAMS ADDED 20/Feb/2005

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