Rafflesia

Now this is an interesting plant!


Rafflesia 

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2013 |

 

Rafflesia (răflē´zhə), any of a genus (Rafflesia) of parasitic plants native to the rain forests of the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines. The plants have no roots, stems, or leaves, consisting of threadlike growths on the tissues of the vine that hosts them. They produce large buds that may take 10 months to open into huge five-petaled flowers, which in the largest species (Rafflesia arnoldii) measure a yard (1 m) or so across. The flowers of most species have the distinctive odor of rotting flesh. All species are endangered or threatened. Rafflesia species are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Rafflesiales, family Rafflesiaceae.

Rafflesia description

Kingdom	Plantae
Phylum	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Order	Proteaceae
Family	Rafflesiaceae
Genus	Rafflesia

The dramatic Rafflesia flowers are the largest single flowers in the world; the leathery petals can reach over 90 centimetres across. Rafflesia is a parasite that depends completely upon its host; the majority of the plant’s tissues exist as thread-like strands entirely within the host’s cells. These host plants are vines of Tetrastigma spp., and the Rafflesia plant is itself not visible until the reproduction stage when flowers first bud through the woody vine and then open into the magnificent spectacle that is world-renowned today. The flowers can take up to ten months to develop from the first visible bud to the open bloom, which may last no more than a few days. Currently 17 species of Rafflesia are recognised and these mainly differ in the morphology of their flowers. In general however, the flowers consist of five leathery petals that are orange in colour and mottled with cream-colored warts. There is a deep well in the centre of the flower containing a central raised disc raised that supports many vertical spines. The sexual organs are located beneath the rim of the disk, and male and female flowers are separate.

                         

An interesting plant -  have you ever seen one?