Mother Nature has produced some mind-boggling oddities, and though most of them may be members of the animal kingdom, the world’s flora has its share of weirdos as well. From a gigantic, fleshy, parasitic flower that smells like rotting flesh to water lilies that can hold the weight of two people, the strangest plants on Earth are a sight to behold.
ABC Action News has rounded up 7 of them:
Rafflesia arnoldii
Found in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, the Rafflesia arnoldii produces the largest individual flower on earth.
The flower can grow up to three feet across and weigh up to 24 pounds.
It’s a parasitic plant that attaches itself to a host plant and feeds off of it for nutrients and water.
And boy, does it smell. Rafflesia arnoldii emits an odor similar to rotting meat to attract insects for pollination purposes.
This plant is rare and hard to find. The flower takes months to develop and only last a few days.Titan Arum
Here’s another real stinker.
Also found in Indonesia, the titan arum is known as the “corpse flower” for its awful smell of rotting meat.
The titan arum can grow up to 10 feet in circumference, reach heights of 7 to 12 feet and weigh up to 170 pounds.
Unlike the equally bad-smelling rafflesia arnoldii, the titan arum is not a single flower, technically speaking. It is formed by a cluster of much smaller flowers, called an inflorescence.
Check out five more, along with slideshows of each natural oddity, at ABC Action News.
