| Rafflesia arnoldi, a plant without stems and leaves that grows on the stems and roots of other plants. It weighs about 15 pounds & it's petals are about 1/2 meter & 1 inch thick. It begins its life cycle quietly enough, growing slowly inside the trailing root of the vines, and first appears as a small dark nub. After about nine months, it matures into a large, cabbage-sized bud whose gigantic red petals, finally unfold into a spectacular blossom. |
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| The flower stays in bloom from 1-15 days and can be seen during the months of September-December. It smells like rotting meat (that gives the plant its local name: "corpse flower"). and attracts insects for pollination when fully opened. This flower grows only in Sumatra island, Indonesia. It's been named after it's founders, two naturalists, Stamford Raffles(who has been widely known as the founder of Singapore) & Joseph Arnold, Raffles's friend. |
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