9 of the Worst Smelling Flowers In The World

Hold your nose on this one, 'cause pee-yew! Scent of a rose these flowers ain't!

1. Titan Arum, The Corpse Flower

With a title like the 'corpse flower' you know it's gonna reek to high heaven--and it does. Named the 'worst smelling flower in the world' it smells like it sounds.

2. Eastern Skunk Cabbage

The name gives away its true nature, but this roadkill-scented flower actually has surprising medicinal properties. It is often used for treating asthma, epilepsy, coughs and rheumatism.

3. Rafflesia Arnoldii, Corpse Flower #2

You can deduce the rafflesia arnoldii's horrid scent rather quickly as it shares a nickname with the titan arum. Despite its corpse-like smell, however, the flower is quite beautiful and one of Indonesia's three national flowers.

It can also bloom up to 3-feet in diameter!

4. Hydnora Africana

Yes, it looks like what you think it is, but its aroma is comparable to a body part from the rear. Oh, and the Hydnora Africana attracts dung beetles as its pollinator. Go figure.

5. Carob Tree

Widely cultivated for its seed pods, which are used for delicious ersatz chocolate, it has the rather unsavory reputation of producing a semen-like odor.

6. Bulbophyllum Phalaenopsis

Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. Case in point: the bulbophyllum, is the largest orchid in its class, but it smells like dead, rotting mice.

7. Helicodiceros Muscivorus, Dead Horse Arum

Take a wild guess on how this one smells. No rush... Ding! Time's up. If you guessed like a 'dead rotting horse,' you are absolutely correct! And like other carrion flowers, the scent attracts flies for pollination purposes.

8. Stapelia Gigantea

Hypnotizing, isn't it? Don't get drawn in though, the stapelia falls under the 'carrion flowers' category. Not only does it smell like a rotting corpse... it even imitates the feel of one!

9. Dracunculus Vulgaris

This vulgar flower is yet another carrion plant, but unlike the other stinky plants on this list, the bad smell only lasts for one day.

a.k.a. the voodoo lily, snake lily, stink lily, the black dragon and dragonwort.