What is the Rafflesia Arnoldii?

The Rafflesia refers to a specific genus of plants found only in South-East Asia, specifically the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and in the Philippines. Named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, leader of the expedition that found it which also happens to be the founder of Singapore. This particularly rare plant is a parasite, thereby produces no leaves, stems or roots. It lives within the vines of plants in the Tetrastigma genus, and only in the primary. The Rafflesia is easily identified by its massive reddish-brown flower, with diameters ranging from a meter to twenty centimeters across. Inside is a spiked disk, to which either stigma or stamens are attached, hereby denominating the sex of the plant. The flowers also have a very bad smell akin to rotting flesh, which is instrumental in attracting insects for pollination. The Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest flower in the world and a single bloom can measure up to three feet wide. People have described the sound of the flower blooming as similar to a shoe pulling free from the mud! This plant is no lightweight either—at its peak, it can weigh as much as fifteen pounds.

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