Corpse flower
Indonesian Arnoldii
History
-first discovered by Louis Dechamp in 1791-1794 but his boat was seized by British forces and his notes were not available to the public until 1861
Corpse flower
Corpse flower
Corpse flower
Facts
-can get up to 100 cm(39 in) in diameter and weigh anywhere from 10kg(22 lb)
-has a rotting flesh smell to it
-the stench attracts insects which pollinate the flower
-there are male and female plants but have been reports of hermaphrodite plants
-some species only bloom at night and take anywhere from six to nine months to emerge into full bloom from the time it starts budding
Efforts to save
- habitat loss Is a very big factor in the disappearance of the plant.
-it is also over harvested for medicinal purposes by natives
-it is the Indonesian state flower, the Sabah state in Malaysia
-artificial pollination and protecting it from being harvested are the main ways of trying to restore the worlds biggest plant
Work cited
"Rafflesia – Queen of Parasites and the Biggest Flower on Earth." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.