A Botanical Freak

The Malayan península is the home oí an extraordinary botanical curiosity in the shape of a flower which is sknply a blossom without leaves, vine or stem and which grows as a parasite on dccaying wood, etc. It is known to the nativesby aname equivalent to a "wonder-wonder." This extraordinary flowerlike growth is souaetimes as much as three feet in diameter, with a globular central cup having a capacity of ubout five to seven quarts. This cup distills a fetid liquid with an odor similar to that of decaying meat. Botanists believe that the odor is calculated to attract flies and secure proper fertilization.