Rafflesia arnoldii and , the Titan Arum is technically a flowering organ partly made from clusters of many flowers so if you want to be pedantic about things, the largest 'true' flower is the Rafflesia arnoldii.
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| Inside the flower - image credit http://bunyipco.blogspot.co.uk/ |
It only occurs only in the rainforests of Bengkulu, Sumatra Island, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and is already near extinction due to loss of habitat.
The Rafflesia arnoldii plant is rare and fairly hard to locate. It is especially difficult to locate the flower in forests as the buds take many months to develop and the flower lasts for just a few days.
The flowers are unisexual and therefore the close proximity of male and female flowers is vital for successful pollination. Combined, these factors make successful pollination a rare event.
When Rafflesia is ready to reproduce, a tiny bud forms on the outside of the root or stem and develops over a period of a year. The cabbage like head that develops, eventually opens to reveal the flower. The stigma or stamen are attached to a spiked disk inside the flower.
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| Rafflesia fruit - Image credit http://bunyipco.blogspot.co.uk/ |
To pollinate successfully, the flies and/or beetles must visit both the male and female plants.
The fruit produced are rounded, and filled with smooth flesh including many thousands of hard coated seeds that are eaten and spread by tree shrews.
It lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in undisturbed rainforests. Rafflesia lacks any observable leaves, stems or even roots, yet is still considered a vascular plant.
Similar to fungi, individuals grow as thread-like strands of tissue completely embedded within and in intimate contact with surrounding host cells from which nutrients and water are obtained.
Conservation
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| Image credit - http://myjourneytothedragons.blogspot.co.uk/ |
Many are known to be nearing extinction. Some environmentalists are developing ways to recreate the species' environment in an effort to stimulate their recovery. This has proved unsuccessful so far.
Steps are also being taken to conserve the forests of Sumatra and Borneo. To help counter the over-collection of this rare plant, residents that have Rafflesia on their private property are encouraged to save the flowers and charge a small fee to see them.
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Based on an article from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia_arnoldii
