The most stinking plant on the planet was stolen from a botanical garden in Germany (3 photos + 1 video)
Police are searching for the thieves who stole the world's foulest-smelling plant. A giant amorphophallus, known as the "corpse flower," has disappeared from the Rombergpark botanical garden in Dortmund, Germany. 
The plant, weighing approximately 30 kilograms, is known for its unpleasant aroma and blooms for only 24 hours every few years.
Only about 1,000 specimens remain in the wild, and when blooming, they emit a foul odor described as a cross between "wet socks, hot cat food, or rotting possum meat." 
In Rombergpark, the plant was named David, and it last bloomed in 2021. Thousands of people flocked to Dortmund to witness the rare phenomenon.
One employee noted: "The theft of David was a great shock for us. Many residents of Dortmund were waiting for the next bloom. We hope the thieves regret their decision and return the plant." 
Earlier this year, a "corpse flower" bloomed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
John Simon, Head of Horticulture and Living Collections, compared the event to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He noted, "By the time the flower bloomed, 15,000 visitors had passed through our gates."
He also said in an interview, "This plant is about 10 years old. We acquired it from colleagues at the Los Angeles Botanic Gardens and have been caring for it for the last seven years."
In 2024, researchers from Dartmouth, UK, uncovered the secret of the plant's unpleasant odor. They discovered that the stench is caused by heating one part of the plant.
The flower then begins to secrete a cocktail of chemicals, including dimethyl trisulfide, dimethyl disulfide, trimethylamine, isovaleric acid, and indole. Their aromas have been described as cheese, garlic, rotten fish, sweaty socks, and feces, respectively.
But that's not all. Scientists discovered that the Amorphophallus plant secretes a chemical called putrescine. Interestingly, this same compound is formed during decomposing corpses.
