Rafflesia

RAFFLESIA

The World's Largest Flower

It can grow up to 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds.

"The Corpse Flower"

It smells like rotting meat!

It is a parasitic plant with no root, leaves nor stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients

It was named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles during an expedition in 1818; 

they found Rafflesia Arnoldii

GROWTH:

18 months - from tissue to a small brown bud

6-9 months - bud to mature to a size of a cabbage. The brown leaves will gradually open.

The flower stays open for about 5-7 days. 

Finally, I managed to see real live Rafflesias with my own eyes and with much happiness, I photographed at all angles, to my heart's content.

It was rather coincidentally that we saw this booth by the roadside as we were driving in Ranau. We literally had to pull the brakes to take a closer look. YES! The guy who manned the booth said that there were a few blooms already. We parked by the roadside, paid RM10, and excitedly walked a good 5 minutes along a dusty pathway.

The rotten smell comes from the middle part of the flower; the roundish tentacle-like area in the heart of the petals. 

The cabbage-sized bud

The Rafflesia plant