Foetidus
/FEE-tih-dus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: foetida, foetidum
A scent epithet bluntly indicating the plant smells bad — fetid, rank, or malodorous. The smell may serve to attract carrion-feeding or dung-visiting pollinators. Appears as foetidus (masculine), foetida (feminine), or foetidum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin foetidus (also fetidus), meaning "stinking" or "fetid," from foetere (to stink).
Example
“Helleborus foetidus (stinking hellebore) and Iris foetidissima (stinking iris) both release an unpleasant smell when their leaves are crushed — a defense mechanism the epithet records with admirable botanical candor.”