The Titan Arum flower mimics the smell of a rotting corpse to trick insects into pollinating it.

The Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and was first described by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1878. The plant uses a process called thermogenesis to raise its temperature to approximately 98°F (36.7°C). This heat helps volatilize foul-smelling sulfur compounds, such as dimethyl trisulfide, which mimic the chemical signature of decaying flesh.These odors are specifically designed to attract necrophagous insects like the Rove beetle and various flesh flies. These insects are lured into the spathe, a large leaf-like structure, believing they have found a carcass to lay their eggs on. While inside, they become covered in pollen from the male flowers before moving to another plant, facilitating cross-pollination across long distances in the jungle.The energy required for this massive display is stored in a giant underground tuber called a corm, which can weigh over 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Because the blooming process is so energy-intensive, the plant may go 7 to 10 years between flowering cycles. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, recorded one of the first cultivated blooms in 1889, and today, these rare events are tracked globally by botanical institutions due to the plant's endangered status.