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.
Stinker!
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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.
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