Plant
Rafflesia
Rafflesia (genus)
Also known as: Rafflesia arnoldii, corpse flower
A genus of around 30 species of parasitic plants in the family Rafflesiaceae — native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines). *Rafflesia arnoldii* produces the world's largest single flower — up to 1 meter in diameter and 11 kg in weight. The plant has no leaves, no stems, no roots, no chlorophyll; it lives entirely as a microscopic network of threads inside the tissues of its host vine (*Tetrastigma*), only ever visible as the giant bud and brief flower. The flower stinks of rotting flesh — pollinated by carrion-flies attracted by the smell.
Scientific
Rafflesia (family Rafflesiaceae) is one of the most morphologically reduced parasitic plant genera on Earth. The plant has no leaves, no stems, no roots, no chlorophyll. It exists for most of its life as an endophytic network of microscopic threads (analogous to fungal mycelium) living within the tissues of its host vine — species of Tetrastigma (grape family Vitaceae).
The plant only ever appears externally as a flower bud emerging through the host vine’s bark, and ultimately as the giant flower itself. The flower opens for a few days, releases the rotting-flesh smell that attracts carrion-flies, and then collapses into black ooze.
Rafflesia arnoldii — discovered by Joseph Arnold and Sir Stamford Raffles in Sumatra in 1818 — produces the largest single flower of any plant species: documented blossoms reach 1 meter diameter and 11 kg in weight.
Cultural and ecological
The species’ extraordinary morphology has made it a botanical celebrity since its description. The flowers are pilgrimage destinations for botanical tourists in Indonesia and Malaysia, where local guides know which host vines are likely to produce buds in each season.
The plant is Padma raksasa (giant lotus) in Indonesian, and the species is the national flower of Indonesia. Several Rafflesia species are listed as threatened or endangered on the IUCN Red List due to deforestation and the species’ extreme habitat specificity.
The “corpse flower” common name is sometimes shared with Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum) — also a giant Southeast Asian carrion-mimic flower, but unrelated to Rafflesia and from a different family entirely. Both species exploit the same fly-attraction strategy and produce the same general decay odor.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[salak]] · [[rambutan]] · [[yam]] · [[venus-flytrap]] · [[taro]] · [[starfruit]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
Sources
- Wikipedia — Rafflesia
- IUCN Red List
A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].
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