The large flower of the dragon arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) mimics both the color and the smell of rotting meat in order to attract the flies that are its pollinators. Although the flower persists for nearly a week, it only smells strongly for a single day. As in other members of the arum family, the flower consists of a spathe and a spadix.
The large spathe seen here is actually a bract (modified leaf tissue) enclosing the prominent spadix, which is the plant???s true inflorescence.