These flowers lure pollinators to their deaths. There’s a new twist on how

Two species of jack-in-the-pulpits may use sex scents to lure male fungus gnats

images of A. angustatum, left, and A. peninsulae, right

These two jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema species may fake out their male gnat pollinators by wafting scents of gnat sex, but the plants (A. angustatum, left, and A. peninsulae, right) are dangerous places for their tiny visitors.

K. Suetsugu/Plants, People, Planet 2022

Fake — and fatal — invitations to romance could be the newest bit of trickery uncovered among some jack-in-the-pulpit wildflowers.