9 Stinky Houseplants that Make Your House Smell Terrible

Allergic rhinitis symptom of odor pollen flowering, portrait asian young woman hand in sneeze, blowing runny nose after smell, smelly from bloom flower, holding away pink flora on white background.
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Written by Jennifer Geer

Published: June 1, 2024

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Growing plants indoors has never been trendier, and sales have risen sharply in the past few years. Houseplants are not only beautiful, but keeping plants in your home has been found to improve air qualityreduce stress, and enhance overall feelings of well-being. Many houseplants smell fantastic and will bring natural fragrance into your home. However, not all plants are the same, and some plants can have unpleasant odors. Read on for nine stinky houseplants that make your house smell terrible.

1. Lantana

Close up of red orange Lantana urticoides or Texas lantana.

This flowering plant in the verbena family has a distinctive smell that some people enjoy, while others think it smells like cat urine.

Lantana is native to South and Central America. It’s a perennial, flowering shrub in warm climates and is grown as an annual in colder regions. Although Lantana varieties tend to thrive best when planted outdoors in full sunlight, they can also be grown indoors with proper care in a warm spot with plenty of sunshine. However, you may not want to bring this beautiful plant into your home. The scent of its flowers has been described as either gasoline, fermenting citrus, or cat urine.

2. Sea Holly

Blue flowers, stems and leaves of thorny plant Eryngium planum, or the blue eryngo or flat sea holly.

Sea Holly is known for its spiky blue blooms and unusual odor.

This flowering beauty’s scientific name is Eryngium. It’s an upright plant native to Europe and the Mediterranean with striking blue flowers on upright stalks. Although the plant is beautiful, it has a smell that people have described as cow manure or dog poop. You may prefer to leave this plant outside in the garden rather than bring it into your home.

3. Voodoo Lily

a macro closeup of an unusual smelly stinky flower of Amorphophallus konjac conjac plant, known as woodoo lily against green garden background

The flower of the voodoo lily plant has a smell like rotting meat to attract flies, which helps the plant by pollinating it.

Native to China, Japan, and Taiwan, the voodoo lily plant (Amorphophallus kiusianus) is also sometimes called a corpse flower or devil’s tongue. As you can imagine, anything named “corpse flower,” is likely to have a terrible smell. This plant is native to tropical areas and its tuber is sometimes grown for food. However, the scent of its flower has been compared to rotting meat. 

4. Paperwhite Narcissus

A beautiful, blooming Paperwhite Narcissus in the Winter.

The biochemical in these pretty white blooms that give it a distinct odor is known as indole.

These gorgeous white flowers are often started indoors from bulbs to bring a touch of fresh flowers to the home over winter. However, the paperwhite narcissus has a reputation of not only being gorgeous, but also stinky. It’s a controversial scent, and some people enjoy it, while others compare it to the smell of dirty socks, or even worse, cat urine.

5. Blue Butterfly Bush

Pretty Clerodendrum ugandense or the Blue Butterfly Bush is an attractive, open-structured, evergeen shrub with arching branches that bear sprays of small blue flowers in summer.

The bloom of the blue butterfly bush resembles a flying butterfly.

This pretty blue flowering shrub (Clerodendrum ugandense) is native to Africa. It’s pretty light blue to violet blooms hang upside down and look a bit like a butterfly. It’s not the scent from the flowers that emits a strong odor on this plant, but the smell from the leaves. Handling the leaves produces what has been described as a peanut butter smell. Some people don’t mind the smell, while others detest it.

6. Carrion Plant

Zulu giant, carrion plant and toad plant (Stapelia gigantea), blooms with a large smelly red flower

The strong smell of the flowering carrion plant attracts flies for pollination.

A plant named after decaying flesh is sure to have a terrible smell. The carrion plant (Stapelia gigantea), also called the Zulu giant, is native to southeast Africa. The smelly flowers of the plant attract flies with the smell of rotting flesh. Although it can be grown as a houseplant, not many people want to bring the smell of dead animals into their homes.

7. Bulbophyllum Orchid

Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis is a species of orchid in the genus Bulbophyllum. Orchidaceae family.

These unique orchids have strong smelling clusters of red blooms.

The Papua New Guinea native orchid, the Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis, is an unusual flower with long leaves and stinky flowers. The red clustered blooms attract flies for pollination with the odor of rotten meat. They can be grown indoors under the right conditions, that is, if you don’t mind the scent of decaying flesh in your home.

8. Pineapple Lily

Summer Flowering Dusky Pink Flower Head and Green Bracts on a Pineapple Lily Plant (Eucomis nani 'Gsalipol') Growing in a Greenhouse in a Garden in Rural Devon, England, UK

Pineapple lilies get their name from their upright blooms that have a pineapple-texture appearance. However, their odor has been described as everything from boiled potatoes to rotting meat.

Pineapple lilies (Eucomis) are flowering tropical bulbs in the asparagus family. Native to South Africa, these attractive flowers are said to have a strange smell which some people describe as that of boiled potatoes and others think smells like dead flesh.

9. Tree Houseleek

Aeonium blushing beauty plant.

Aeoniums (tree houseleeks) may be gorgeous succulents, but some of them smell like stinky socks.

Some varieties of Aeonium succulents are known to smell truly awful. Although they are attractive plants and do well indoors, these subtropical plants are often described as having the odor of dirty socks or urine. Native to northern Africa, they can grow well as houseplants as long as they have plenty of light.


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About the Author

Jennifer Geer

Jennifer Geer is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is on animals, news topics, travel, and weather. Jennifer holds a Master's Degree from the University of Tulsa, and she has been researching and writing about news topics and animals for over four years. A resident of Illinois, Jennifer enjoys hiking, gardening, and caring for her three pugs.

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