The Hydnora africana, a parasitic plant that grows almost completely underground on the roots of shrubby plants in the arid desert regions of southern Africa.
The only part that rises above the desert sand is its fleshy flower that looks more like the head of a blind snake!
The Hydnora Africana it smells like faeces too. In this way it attracts carrion and dung beetles, its natural pollinators.
The salmon-red flower traps the beetles that enter, only to release them when the flower is fully opened.
Fully grown, ripe fruits of Hydnora africana may measure up to 80 mm across and contain up to 20 000 seeds per fruit.
