If there are a bunch of flowers on the spadix, how come I don’t see a bunch of flower petals?
There are no petals on these flowers. Petals are advertising devices used by flowers to attract pollinators. Petals are especially important to plants like dandelions, lilies, and tulips to attract pollinators that depend on a visual stimulus to locate pollen and nectar in flowers. The titan arum uses another ploy to attract pollinators: it produces an odor that resembles that of rotting flesh. Flies and carrion beetles, in particular are attracted to the smell of rotting flesh, and many plants whose flowers produce such odors are fly-pollinated. The lower portion of the spadix is red and resembles rotting flesh.
