Amorphophallus

/ˌæmɔːrfoʊˈfæləs/ noun

Definition

A genus of tropical plants known for producing enormous, pungent flowers that smell like rotting flesh.

Etymology

From Greek amorph- (formless) + phallus (penis, referring to the flower's shape). The 'formless' part describes the flower's unusual spadix structure.

Kelly Says

The titan arum, world's smelliest flower, belongs to Amorphophallus—it smells like a corpse to attract carrion-eating insects, and its weird name is perfect because the flower legitimately looks like something alien and formless before it blooms.

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