Rafflesia is the world’s largest flower which is a parasitic flowering plant discovered in the Indonesian rain forest in 1818. It was named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who was the leader of the expedition in a rain-forest that led to its discovery. These flowers are rare and found in southeastern Asian forests of Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo and the Philippines.
Rafflesia Arnoldi
Rafflesia arnoldi is a member of the genus Rafflesia and is the largest flower on earth native to the rain forests of South east Asia. It is named after Dr. James Arnold and his guide Sir Stamford Raffles who found the flower. It is also called corpse flower because of its strong odour like rotten flesh. It is one of the three national flowers of Indonesia and grows up to a diameter of about 1 meter and weighs from 7 to 11 kilograms.
Rafflesia Azlanii
Rafflesia azlanii is found in peninsular Malaysia and they look very similar to Rafflesia cantleyi but have larger perigone blotches that look like they merge into one another.
Rafflesia Baletei
Rafflesia baletei are found in the Philippines. These species were first collected by a mammologist Danilo S. Balete. There were conflicts for many years among the scientists that it could be Rafflesia manillana and then later on after identification of the new species, the Filipino scientists named it after its founder. This is also one among the small sized species of Rafflesia.The flowers of this species are bisexual.
