These African starfish flowers attract flies, smell rather horrible

Oct 25, 2012 14:17 GMT  ·  By

These weird-looking flowers are commonly known as African starfish, and what sets them aside from one's run-off-the-mill indoor plants is the fact that, as stunning as they might look, no person could ever share their living room with one of them.

That is because the African starfish flower typically releases a highly unpleasant smell, which most people find to be quite similar to that of a piece of rotting meat.

As one can easily see in the pictures, its petals are all covered up in hairs, and if it weren't for the plant's unpleasant odor some might actually consider getting close enough to run a comb through them.

These flowers are typically found in tropical and southern Africa, and some say that certain parts of them can be used to treat hysteria.