It has no leaves, stems or roots but lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in primary (undisturbed) rainforest. Occasionally a large flower bud that looks like a pale orange cabbage grows through the vine.

This 'cabbage' becomes an enormous blossom about three feet long and weighing 25 pounds (11 kg) - that's as heavy as a bowling ball. Only the flower or bud can be seen; the rest of the plant exists only as filaments within its unfortunate host. The blossom is pollinated by flies attracted by its scent, which resembles that of carrion....of course!

The Rafflesia is rare and fairly hard to locate. It is especially difficult to see in bloom; the buds take many months to develop and the blossom lasts for just a few days. How many of these strange plants still survive is unknown, but the last of them can be expected to vanish as the remaining primary forests of Borneo and Sumatra are burned. Again, conservation is of the utmost importance to any and all species in the wild and elsewhere.

To learn more about this amazing species click here Harbidon.org

Troy with a huge Rafflesia in the wild. It looks like it's going to eat his head!

Kigelia pinnata: If you want a strange looking tree "hanging" around in your back yard, this is it! Also known as the sausage tree, it features 3-to-24-inch-long sausage-shaped fruits growing at the ends of long stems. I just planted some of these seeds, and they germinated very quickly. The flowers are also quite showy, and the fruit, while not palatable for humans, is popular with hippos, baboons, and giraffes. It's nice to have a tree in the back yard that you can feed your pets from. These fruits could really hurt someone. Have your noisy neighbor stand under it for a picture. To find out more click here. This is a great sight with lots of weird plants. Wayne's World

Parsley:

Did you know that parsley is a very controversial plant? The reason you never get a 100 percent germination rate is, supposedly, the seed goes to the devil and back many times before germination. "Transplant parsley, transplant death" goes the saying. Beware, if you receive parsley seedlings from someone, there will be a death in the family. I have proof. My grandma gave me some seedlings, and sure enough, she died a few years later. She was only 96!

The chemical compounds putrecine and cadaverine found in the arum are exactly the same as those found in a rotting corpse. To blowflies, the scent is indistinguishable.

Aristolochia, including Aristolochia littoralis, Aristolochia fimbriata, and Aristolochia ringens: There are many different Aristolochia species. Most of them attract the pipevine swallowtail butterfly. The pipevine relies completely on Aristolochia plants to lay its eggs and raise its young. The pictues above are of my Arist. gigantea. It didn't bloom this year until December when there was frost. This one is a small flower as they can reach 1-to-2 feet across!

Also know as California dutchman's pipe, the plant is native to lower foothills over a wide range from Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, and Solana counties through the Sacramento Valley south into the Sierra Nevada foothills in the Upper Sonoran Life Zone. It prefers shade and water. So far, we've had the most success growing it in a container in morning sun and letting it run up a trellis. Another stinky plant!

Genus mostly of shrubs, often climbing, in the family Aristolochiaceae; they are found in temperate and warm regions and have pungent aromatic roots and tubular flowers. A. clematis, or birthwort, is cultivated as a medicinal plant, and is naturalized in Britain. A. macrophylla (synonym sipho), or Dutchman's pipe, is a popular North American garden climber.

This and related species have swollen tubular flowers with lurid purplish patches, and an odor which attracts flies to pollinate the plant. I have four different species, and the flowers are amazing!

Aristolochia species have particular components, known as "aristolochic acids," have been linked to severe kidney damage and urinary tract cancer. There have been reports in a number of overseas countries of serious reactions to herbal products containing Aristolochia. This has usually occurred when an Aristolochia herb was mistakenly compounded into a preparation for a particular medicinal use instead of another herb.

Orchids, including Cattleya percivaliana, Bulbiphyllum putidum, and Hymenopus coronatus.

Bulbiphyllum putidum

Bulbiphyllum putidum is as beautiful as most other orchids but has an odor problem. The first thing you want to do when you see a pretty flower is stick your nose in it. Just let your friends do it...you can just sit back and smile. Decaying flesh is a nice description of the scent. OK, again with the rotting flesh plants. Get over it. You are as fascinated as I am or you wouldn't have read this far.

Hymenopus coronatus

The Hymenopus coronatus isn't a plant, but I thought you may want to see it anyway. This is the Malaysian orchid mantis. It actually takes on the colors and features of the orchid it is sitting on.

Malaysian orchid mantis

This is the most beautiful insect in the world. It can be found in the rain forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Sumatra. Hiding between large pink and white flowers, mainly orchids, it lies in wait for insects.

Orchids attract pollinators with several methods of mimicry, including scent and stealth. Orchids that smell sweet attract bees; those that smell like rotting flesh lure flies. The orchid can allow attract pollinators by imitating insects, including bees and butterflies, with the patterns on their petals. Being stealthy doesn't hurt either. The slipper orchid lures prospective pollinators to the edge of slippery pouches. When insects fall in, they are digested.

Orchid flowers may be as small as a mosquito or as large as a dinner plate. Every country in the world and every U.S. state, including Alaska, has orchids in the wild.

On the next page, See Growth of an Amorphophallus.