Stinker!

In this episode we look at the cuckoo pint, which has an unusual flower with the central part, called a spadix, releasing a stench that to our nostrils is quite revolting. Many flowers produce scents to attract pollinators, but few go to quite the same lengths as the cuckoo pint (Arum maculatum). The plant produces a highly unusual flower and the central part, called a spadix, then heats up, releasing a stench that to our nostrils is quite revolting. But of course, the plant isn't trying to attract humans. Instead, it has evolved to attract a single species of moth midge which it traps for the night to make sure that it is covered in pollen, before releasing it the following morning.