RAFFLESIA ARNOLDI

RAFFLESIA ARNOLDI

          The vast archipelago and the great number of islands has made Indonesia the home of a large variety of plant life. The Indonesian flora ranges from the tiny orchid to the giant rafflesia plants. No wonder many botanists are curicous to study these plants.

          The rafflesia arnoldi is the biggest flower in the world. It is unusual because of its large size. It has a flower almost a metre in diametre and 1,40 in height.

          “Rafflesia “ is derived from the name of the British Governor General, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who once governed and built the Botanical Gardens in Bogor. Thought it is called Rafflesia after Raffles, the man who discovered the plant was Beccary, an Italian botanists who visited Sumatra in 1928.

          Rafflesia consists of two part the stick like part which grows in the middle and the petals around and below it.

          The rafflesia plant begins to flower in its tenth year. It blooms three or four times a year. Before it begins to flower, the leaves and the stem become dry and look dead, but the main root in the ground it still alive.

          While the flower is blossoming, it has a very unpleasant smell which attracts insects, especially green flies. They seem eager to explore the flower. Bu if the flies touch the buttom part of the stick, like centre, they die.