Rafflesia is a parasitic flower found mainly in the Malay Archipelago including parts of Indonesia. It was named after Sir Thomas Raffles, the founder of Singapore and a renowned botanist in his own right. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots and most of the flower is inside its vines. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower. The flower is the largest single flower in the world, if not by size, at least by weight. Some species can grow to over 100 centimetres in diameter and weigh up to 10 kg!! Rafflesia smell like rotting fish or meat and is nicknamed "corpse flower" by the locals. The vile smell that the flower gives off attracts insects such as flies and beetles which transport pollen from male to female flowers. The Tambunan Rafflesia Forest Reserve in Sabah is a good place to go looking for Rafflesia in the wild. The reserve has an abundance of wild Rafflesia, most of which are on the mountainside; which can be accessed by a couple of hours of hiking on trails in the reserve.
April 4, 2009
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1 comment:
why does it called "corpse flower"? i also read somewhere that it also have a short life span,, but i dont know much about it, thanks for the very informative post about rafflesia
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