BIGGEST FLOWER
The flower with the world’s largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. It is an endemic plant that occurs only in the rainforests of Sumatra Island in Indonesia. It can grow up to 3 ft across and weigh up to 15 pounds. It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. When in bloom, the Rafflesia emits a repulsive odour, similar to that of rotting meat, which attracts insects that pollinate the plant. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the Titan Arum and Talipot palm, they are technically clusters of many flowers.
Rafflesia arnoldii (Indonesian: padma raksasa) is one of the three national flowers of Indonesia, the other two being the white jasmine and moon orchid. It was officially recognised as a national “rare flower” (Indonesian: puspa langka) in the Presidential Decree in 1993.
