The voodoo lily, also known as the corpse flower or devil’s tongue, is a tropical plant species native to western Asia. It belongs to the same family (Araceae) as the better-known titan arum or corpse flower (Rafflesia arnoldii).

What makes the voodoo lily so intriguing and gives it such an ominous name is its large, phallic-shaped flowering structure called an inflorescence. This can grow over 3 feet tall, emerging from the plant’s underground corm.

The inflorescence has a deep burgundy or purplish-black color and is covered in tiny flowers clustered in ring patterns. But its most notorious feature is the putrid stench it emits to attract pollinators.

The odor released has been described as resembling rotting flesh, feces, or decaying animal matter. This foul smell, combined with the inflorescence’s shape and color, gives the voodoo lily an unmistakably cadaverous appearance.

The voodoo lily uses this grotesque floral display to lure flies, beetles and other carrion-eating insects. Tricked into thinking they’ve found a prime food source, the insects instead become inadvertent pollinators by carrying pollen between plants.

Used in some traditional Asian folk medicine, the voodoo lily overall represents a remarkable example of how some flowers have evolved using unusually morbid strategies to facilitate reproduction and survival in their natural habitats.

Its striking, almost demonic look and stench make the voodoo lily one of nature’s most ghastly, yet still captivating, flowering plants.