RAFFLESIA

RAFFLESIA

(All photos collected from google)

The plant has no stems, leaves or roots. It's not a joke!!!!!!! Rafflesia is a parasite which attaches itself to a host plant, Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in undisturbed rainforests, to obtain water and nutrients. Rafflesia smell like rotting ( it is due to the reddish tentacle-like, branched ramentae, inside the corolla of petals ) carrion to attract flies. Despite its unsavory stench.

Rafflesia arnoldii is considered one of the three national flowers in Indonesia, where it is a protected species. Rafflesia is a huge speckled five-petaled flower with a diameter up to 106 cm, and weighing up to 10 kg.

Rafflesia manillana, the smallest species in the genus Rafflesia is also has 20 cm diameter flowers.