Synandrospadix: South America’s Monotypic Aroid

Synandrospadix is a monotypic genus in the family Araceae, represented solely by Synandrospadix vermitoxicus, native to seasonally dry habitats from Peru through Bolivia and Paraguay into northwest Argentina.
Its inflorescences feature a foul odor, a purple‐spotted inner spathe and an egg-shaped red spadix bearing protruding male flowers, adaptations that attract specialized carrion-feeding pollinators.