Largest Flower of the World
The largest flower in the world, the rafflesia arnoldi, weighs 7 kg (15 pounds) and grows only on the Sumatra island of Indonesia. Its petals grow to metre (1,6 feet) long and 2,5 cm (1 inch) thick.
Rafflesia arnoldii is actually a parasite that attaches to a host plant for water and nutrients and while in bloom emits an odor similar to rotten meat. This is how it attracts insects that pollinate the plant.
The dramatic Rafflesia flowers are the largest single flowers in the world; the leathery petals can reach over 90 centimetres across. The Rafflesia plant is itself not visible until the reproduction stage when flowers first bud through the woody vine and then open into the magnificent spectacle that is world-renowned today.
The flowers can take up to 10 months to develop from the first visible bud to the open bloom, which may last no more than a few days. Species of Rafflesia are known from peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, southern Thailand, Borneo and southern Philippines.
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rafflesiales
Family: Rafflesiaceae
Genus: Rafflesia
Species: R. arnoldii
- Rafflesia is the largest individual flower. Titan arum bears the largest inflorescence.
- Rafflesia is a parasite which attaches itself to a host plant, Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in undisturbed rainforests, to obtain water and nutrients.
- The genus Rafflesia is named after adventurer and founder of the British colony of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles.
- Dr Arnold is remembered in the species name as Rafflesia arnoldii.
- Rafflesia is the official state flower of Sabah in Malaysia, as well as for the Surat Thani Province, Thailand.
- Rafflesia manillana, the smallest species in the genus Rafflesia is also has 20 cm diameter flowers.
- Rafflesia flowers are unisexual.
- Forest mammals and tree shrews feed on Rafflesia fruit which is 15cm in diameter, filled with smooth flesh and thousands of tiny hard coated seeds.
- It is believed that rafflesia is related to poinsettias, violets, passionflowers, and other members of the order Malpighiales.
- The rotten smell of the flower is due to the reddish tentacle-like, branched ramentae, inside the corolla of petals.
- Rafflesia is an endangered or threatened genus.
- Rafflesia arnoldii does not have chlorophyll, as all the green plants have and so it cannot undergo photosynthesis.
