Happy October! It’s finally time to chow down on candy corn, order pumpkin spice lattes, watch scary movies, pick out costumes, and enjoy the cooler weather. While we love these autumn activities, too, at Mission Viejo Florist in Mission Viejo, we love celebrating every season and holiday with flowers! That’s why this October, we’re getting into the spirit of Halloween with some of the strange and odd flowers of the world.

Scary Flowers to Get You Ready for Halloween

Warning: These flowers are not intended for domestic use!

Stinking Corpse Lily

Native to the island of Sumatra, the stinking corpse lily is so named because it’s a carrion flower, meaning it smells like dead animals, particularly rotting fish. This flower’s unpleasant smell isn’t its sole claim to fame, however. It’s also the largest blooming flower on Earth. The biggest specimens have been shown to measure nearly three-and-a-half feet wide. This oddity of the floral world has no roots, stems, or leaves. It’s actually more like a parasitic fungus, as it feeds off nutrients provided by the host vines within which it lives.

Titan Arum

Another carrion flower of Sumatra, the titan arum emits a bouquet of stench, which includes odors similar to chloraseptic, sweaty socks, feces, decaying fish, and limburger cheese with a touch of sweetness. The plant’s odor, however, is not its primary draw (unless you’re a fly). Titan arum gets its name from the Greek word for giant, and this is a truly massive plant. In full bloom, the plant can grow up to 20 feet tall and 16 feet across! Blooming, however, is a rare event, as it sometimes happens as infrequently as only once per decade.

Hydnora Africana

If this monstrous flower looks familiar, that’s probably because it’s thought to have inspired many monsters on film. This includes the plant character from “Little Shop of Horrors” and the monsters in Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and the movie “Tremors.” This comes as no surprise because this flower looks like an alien coming up for air.

Not a flower you’d want to pick, this plant lives entirely under ground in southern Africa. It feeds off the roots of nearby plants and only flowers above ground when it’s ready to reproduce. The flower emits a strong feces-like smell to attract dung beetles and flies for pollination. When unsuspecting insects land on its flesh, the petals snap shut, trapping the bug for several days.

Decorate with These Crowd-Pleasing Flowers Instead

Unless you want to scare off all the trick-or-treaters this year, we recommend decorating your home for the Halloween holiday with flowers that everyone loves.

Black roses, for example, look perfectly macabre, yet elegant, in all-black bouquets. They’re great for a costumed Halloween dinner party or even a Halloween wedding bouquet. For more light-hearted take, we recommend mixing in a variety of yellow and orange blooms. Tie off your bouquet with a festive ribbon and add other fun accents, like sparkling pumpkins or glittering ghosts.

Black Rose

Orange Chrysanthemum

A favorite of the fall season, chrysanthemums create a traditionally cheerful atmosphere. Welcome guests and trick-or-treaters to your home with pots adorning your front door. Mums bloom abundantly on single plants in a full rainbow of colors, including all the autumn favorites like yellow, gold, orange, and burgundy. Chrysanthemums feel warm, welcoming, and happy, helping to create a joyful autumn.

Everything You Need for a Perfectly Floral October

We won’t be selling stinking corpse flower lilies this year, at Mission Viejo Florist, but we have everything else you could possibly want for creating the perfect autumn, October, or Halloween vibe, such as our Essence of Autumn Bouquet.

Our expert florists will help you select the perfect floral arrangements, decor, and accents to adorn your home for the season. Stop by our flower shop or order online today!