Rafflesia (from Indonesian - "lotus flower") is a genus of flowering parasitic plants, which includes about 28 varieties. Its range covers the territory of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, the Malacca Peninsula, the islands of Kalimantan, Java and Sumatra.
According to unofficial sources, rafflesia was first discovered in 1797 on the island of Java by the French explorer Louis Auguste Deschamps. However, in 1798, when the British captured his ship, all records and illustrations fell into the hands of the invaders and were not available to Western science until 1954.
The official date for the discovery of this representative of the flora world falls on 1818. Then it was found in the tropical forests of Indonesia in the southwest of Sumatra during an expedition led by the British explorer, Sir Stamford Raffles, after whom the flower got its name. The first to see the unusual plant was the local guide, assistant doctor and naturalist Joseph Arnold. The found specimen was a huge flower without leaves and a stem, reaching a meter in diameter and weighing more than 6 kg. Later, this species was named Rafflesia Arnold. Today he is the most famous representative of the genus and is one of the three largest flowers on the planet.
Arnold's Rafflesia is a giant single-flowered plant that can be 60-100 cm in diameter and weigh over 8-10 kg. The record holder of this species reached a very impressive size - 106.7 cm. And even the smallest variety, Rafflesia baletei, has an average diameter of 12 cm.
The unique plant has no stem and leaves, i.e. the main organs carrying out photosynthesis. Since rafflesia on its own is not able to synthesize vital organic substances, it develops due to parasitism on the tissues (stems and roots) of host plants, which are usually vines belonging to the grape family.
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The only visible part of the plant is five fleshy pan-shaped petals of deep red color, covered with randomly spaced white spots. A giant bud blooms right on the ground, emitting the smell of spoiled meat, from which they got another name - "cadaveric flower". The unpleasant smell and appearance attract pollinating insects, which are most often forest flies, transporting pollen from a male to a female flower. Most rafflesia species are bisexual, but some of them are polygamous plants, which can be both bisexual and unisexual.
In the case of fertilization of a female flower and the appearance of an ovary, after 7 months, the fruit ripens, containing on average 2 to 4 million seeds. Further, the fate of rafflesia is decided with the participation of large animals (elephants, wild pigs), which crush the hard fruit and transfer the seeds adhered to the limbs to other places.
Also, small mammals and some insects, including ants, are often involved in the spreading process. From a huge number of seeds, only one or two germinate, overcoming a long path of development.
After the seed of the parasite flower hits the liana, its bark begins to swell only after 1.5-3 years, forming a kind of bud, which soon turns into a bud, which ripens for about 9 months more. When the time comes, it opens into a huge brick red flower. Despite the long development process, the life span of rafflesia is very short - only 2-4 days. After this time, only a black shapeless mass remains from the flower.
Today, all species of this plant are under threat of extinction, the reason for this is the massive deforestation of tropical forests for plantations, which is rapidly reducing the habitat of exotic representatives of the flora world.
In Indonesia, the province of Surat Thani, Thailand, and the state of Sabah, Malaysia, rafflesia is officially designated the national flower.