ODDS AND ENDS: Giant penis plant and other offbeat offerings

PENIS PLANT STANDS ERECT AT SCOTTISH GARDENS

A plant known for its foul stench is standing erect at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Also known as the “penis plant” or “corpse flower,” the Amorphophallus Titanum is in full bloom at the Botanic Gardens for a third time.

While the odour that the flower produces supposedly smells like death, that hasnt stopped visitors from getting a glimpse at the tall plant.

According to Edinburgh Live, the penis plant bloomed alongside two of its smaller cousins — nicknamed Wee Reekie and Wee Reekie 2.

The Amorphophallus Titanum first flowered in June 2015, attracting 19,000 visitors to the gardens at the time. Gardens supervisor Louise Galloway told the news outlet that the plant is difficult to grow to the flowering stage because “they usually take about seven to 10 years to reach maturity.

“Often after flowering and setting seed in the wild, the plants energy is exhausted and it dies,” she said. “We have been very lucky to have a stable corm, which has produced a consistent flower every two years since maturing.”

The Amorphophallus Titanum last bloomed in 2017.

ANTS INFEST UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT

Snakes on a plane have nothing on ants in passengers pants.

A United Airlines flight from Venice to Newark had a load of extra stowaways — ants — on Monday.

NBC New York reported that the insects reportedly spilled out from a bag in an overhead bin and began crawling around the cabin.

A passenger aboard the flight, Charlotte Burns, noted on

On the plane from Venice to New York when a large, fat ant walks over my pillow. Hmmm. That's odd.

— charlotte burns (@charlieburns) June 17, 2019

“On the plane from Venice to New York when a large, fat ant walks over my pillow. Hmmm. Thats odd,” Burns tweeted. “Minutes later, another fat little bug hurries over the television screen. Then theres another one — on my arm! These are bold. I start to feel itchy.”

The flight crew apparently tried to contain the insects. Other passengers spotted the creepy crawlies in the first-class section of the plane.

United Airlines said the aircraft was taken out of service in Newark and thoroughly cleaned.

The airline also noted the ants came from one passengers bag located in an overhead bin.

SPIDER, POSSUM BATTLE AT AUSSIE SKI LODGE TURNS DEADLY

It was battle to the death for a large huntsman spider and a pygmy possum at an Australian ski lodge recently.

And not surprisingly, the arachnid won.

A man was staying at a ski lodge in Tasmania, Australia, last week and stumbled upon a showdown between the spider and a baby possum. In a series of photos posted on Facebook, the huntsman spider can be seen clutching the pygmy possum, creeping out onlookers in the process.

“Possum-eating spider! Taken by my husband at Mt. Field lodge,” Justine Latton captioned the photos. The photos soon went viral, garnering 1,300 likes and 7,500 shares.

Latton told Fox News possums are common in Mount Field, Australia.

“It was one of the biggest huntsman spiders hed (husband Adam) ever seen,” she said. “And Tasmanian Pygmy Possums are the smallest of the pygmy possums, I believe. This one was about the size of a large walnut. This occurrence is very unusual, Im told.”

Latton said huntsman spiders will sometimes capture small lizards or frogs, but mammals