In some species, such as
Rafflesia arnoldii, the
flower may be over in
diameter, and weigh up to .
Even the smallest species,
R. manillana, has 20 cm
diameter flowers.
David Attenborough explains
the functions of fungi and
parasites in the jungle. The
"corpse flower," which
weighs up to 10 kg in some
species, is the only visible
part of the parasitic plant
Rafflesia
Dr. Joseph Arnold in 1818,
and named after Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles, the leader
of the expedition.It
contains approximately 27
species (including four
incompletely characterized
species as recognized by
Meijer 1997), all found in
southeastern Asia, on the
Malay Peninsula, Borneo,
Sumatra, and the
Philippines.
The
plant has no stems, leaves
or true roots. It is an
endoparasite of vines in the
genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae),
spreading its root-like
haustoria inside the tissue
of the vine. The only part
of the plant that can be
seen outside the host vine
is the five-petaled flower.
RAFFLESIA
Rafflesia kerrii is a member of the genus
Rafflesia. It is found in the rainforest of
southern Thailand and peninsular Malaysia,
with the most famous population in the Khao
Sok National Park. The local Thai names are
Bua Phut (บัวผุด) and Bua Tum (บัวตูม).
The red flowers have a diameter of 50-90 cm
and smell awfully of rotten meat to attract
flies for pollination. The plant is a
parasite to the wild grapes of the genus
Tetrastigma (T. leucostaphylum, T.
papillosum and T. quadrangulum). , but only
the flowers are visible. Small buds appear
along the trunk and roots of the host, which
after 9 months open the giant flowers.
After just one week the
flower dies. The species
seems to be flowering
seasonally, as flowers
are only reported during
the dry season, from
January to March, and
more rarely till July.
The flower is
endangered. Though
already naturally rare,
tourists trying to get
close to the flower for
photos easily trample
the host plant or young
buds. Also the locals
collect both buds and
flowers both as a
delicacy as well as for
its claimed medical
powers. A concoction of
cooked buds or flowers
is used as a general
tonic, to help for fever
or backache or even as a
sexual stimulant.
However western medicine
doesn't recognize any
medical power of the
flower. The flower is
the symbol flower of
Surat Thani Province,
which is the location of
the Khao Sok NP.
Not everyone's perfume
We expect flowers to
smell lovely, or at the
worst to have no scent
at all. There is one
flower, however, which
really stinks. Rafflesia
lives in the jungles of
Sumatra, Borneo and part
of Philipine and is the
largest flower in the
world - it's a metre
wide.
This huge flower spreads
its leathery,
wart-covered petals just
above the surface of the
forest floor. In the
centre is a vast,
spike-filled cup from
which comes the putrid
stench of rotting, dead
flesh.
So
what could possibly be
persuaded to approach
this monstrous flower?
Flies that feed on
decomposing bodies swarm
to it, expecting a
feast, and happily
transfer pollen as they
come and go.
Description and
Characteristics
Lets
get the facts out of it
(Scientific Name:
Rafflesia ssp)
The world's largest
flower weighing
about 9 kg and
almost 1 meter wide
Totally dependent on
one particular vine
called Tetrastigma
(related to the
grapevine)
The Rafflesia is a
disembodied flower.
A rootless, leftless
and stemless
parasite, it drains
nourishment and
gains physical
support from its
host vine. Its only
body outside the
flower consists of
strands of
fungus-like tissue
that grow inside the
Tetrastigma vine. It
first manifests
itself as atiny bud
on the vine's stem.
Most buds rot before
they attain
maturity, but when
they finally open
nine or more months,
they display five
huge, fleshy petals
that can reach in
extreme cases almost
one meter in
diameter and weigh
over seven
kilogrammes
Over a period of 12
months, it swells to
a cabbage like head
that bursts around
midnight under the
cover of a rainy
night to reveal this
startling, lurid-red
flower. Beauty turns
beastly in only a
few days. The
Rafflesia only
flowers for 5 to 6
days, before the
petals blacken and
the flower withers.
The "flowering
Beast" begins to
smell like a rotting
meat, attracting
blue bottle flies
for pollination
The
plant has no stems, leaves
or true roots. It is an
endoparasite of vines in the
genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae),
spreading its root-like
haustoria inside the tissue
of the vine. The only part
of the plant that can be
seen outside the host vine
is the five-petaled flower.
So
what could possibly be
persuaded to approach
this monstrous flower?
Flies that feed on
decomposing bodies swarm
to it, expecting a
feast, and happily
transfer pollen as they
come and go.
Description and
Characteristics
