Why do corpse flowers smell like rotting meat?

The world's largest flower grows in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. But its enormous, bright red bloom does not fill the air with a sweet aroma. In fact, the Rafflesia arnoldii is known as the "corpse flower" because it smells like dead flesh. And unlike most plants, this flower does not use energy from the Sun to make its own food. Instead, it is a parasite: it gets all its nutrients and water from a host, a vine in the grape family.
Why do corpse flowers smell like rotting meat?
to attract egg-laying flies
to attract meat-eating mammals
to repel plant-eating animals
This scent attracts carrion flies, which lay their eggs in decaying dead animals. Since male flowers may bloom far from females in the rainforest, they need help from carrion flies to spread their pollen.
The corpse flower is a parasite. Parasite comes the Greek word parasitos, which means:
someone who cuts down grape vines
someone who eats at another's table
someone who lives in a rainforest
In nature, a parasite is an unwelcome dinner guest! Rather than making or gathering their own food, they let other organisms do the work.
When it's not in bloom, the corpse flower is barely visible because it has no stem, leaves, or roots.
Besides the flower, the plant is made up of strands of tissue that run between the cells of its host. It doesn't need the other parts because it gets everything it needs from its host!
Millions of years ago, the ancestors of the corpse flower were much larger than they are today.
Its flowers are actually about 80 times larger than they were 46 million years ago. The flower of its ancestors was only about 1/4 inch wide!
Common Name: corpse flower
Scientific Name: Rafflesia arnoldii
Description: a rare parasitic plant with large flowers, no roots, and no leaves
Habitat: rainforests
Range: Southeast Asia
Cool Fact: Its flowers can measure three feet (one meter) across and weigh up to 15 pounds (seven kilograms)!