News Plants

This flower smells like injured ants — and flies can’t resist it

A scent emitted by a Japanese dogsbane lures grass flies, who then unwittingly pollinate it

A small black fly feeds on the center of a greenish-yellow flower.

Japanese dogsbane flowers (one shown) emit the aromatics of attacked ants to trick grass flies into pollination.

Ko Mochizuki

By Rohini Subrahmanyam

A Japanese flower lures in its pollinators with a morbid perfume — the scent of injured ants.