Dulcis foetidus

Dulcis foetidus was reputed in 2010 to be a new species of smelly plant discovered in the tropics. In fact, it was an elaborate experiment in mob psychology, a Milgram experiment.
Fictional discovery
This fictional species was "discovered" by Mathew Kirtley and Tyrone Silveria while trekking in the largely uninhabited South American rainforest of the Tumucumaque National Park where it is locally referred to as the 'Boodoon' flower. The word Boodoon is thought to arise from the root word, shkoboodood meaning 'to leave fallow'. It is fast becoming considered as the singular plant possessing the greatest smell on Earth. Currently accepted alternatives are the Rafflesia arnoldii and the Amorphophallus titanium , both emitting a pungent smell and claiming the pseudonym, ’Corpse Flower’. However while the former is indeed the largest single flower, the latter is an inflorescence or cluster of flowers, despite the overall size of the plant surpassing three metres in size.
When the active volatile organic compounds from these plants are reduced to extract they are smaller in lesser in olfactory units than that removed from the much smaller Dulcis foetidus flower. This is a single flower of modest size, peaking at a mean height of approximately 45 cm (18 inches).
Like, the larger flowers, this relies on the production of dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl trisulphide to produce an aroma designed to attract carrion insect life for pollination. It is primarily for this specific VOC chemical production reason that it has been classified as Dulcis foeditus.
Unveiling
The "extract" of this fictional flower was unveiled by a faculty member of Aston University at the 2010 British Science Festival.
The British Science Festival website described the event as follows:
The "extract" was mere water but the audience was asked to provide feedback on the expected smell, and many did claim to smell it.

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