Per Rogier van Vugt, the Head Gardener at the greenhouses at Leiden University and at Hortus botanicus Leiden, from Noordwijk, Zuid-Holla...Read Morend, Netherlands:
"The ultimate Halloween flowers must be carrion flowers, as they disguise as dead creatures to get a treat. This fuzzy little monster is Duvalia corderoyi. It's native to the dryer parts of South Africa where it lives hidden between shrubs and rocks. But the hidden lifestyle is not handy when you want your flowers to be pollinated. So mimicking a dead, rotting mouse is the perfect way to attract all the flies to the yard. The fanatically wander around on the flower looking for food and often even lay eggs on it. For the botany nerds there is something else interesting about this flower. If you look at the center of the flower you see this 5 pointed star. Does this look familiar to you? If not, then take a close look at a Hoya flower when you see one next time. Hoya and Stapeliads are closely related. And with this Duvalia it's very visible in this part of the flower."
Per Rogier van Vugt, the Head Gardener at the greenhouses at Leiden University and at Hortus botanicus Leiden, from Noordwijk, Zuid-Holla...Read More