Stats

Lifespan: A few days
Size: Huge
Diet: Parasitic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Southeast Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Critically Endangered

About

Rafflesia arnoldii produces the largest individual flower on Earth, reaching up to 1 metre in diameter and weighing up to 11 kg. A true holoparasite with no stems, roots, or leaves, it lives entirely within its Tetrastigma vine host until its massive, rotting-flesh-scented bloom erupts to lure pollinating flies.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Rafflesiaceae
Genus: Rafflesia
Species: Rafflesia arnoldi