Orchid wears the scent of death
Monday, March 14, 2011 - 15:20
in Psychology & Sociology
Sex and violence, or at least death, are the key to reproduction for the orchid Satyrium pumilum. Research led by Timotheues van der Niet at the University of KwaZulu-Natal shows that the orchid lures flies into its flowers by mimicking the smell of rotting flesh. A new study comparing the scent of the orchids with that of roadkill is to be published in the Annals of Botany...