Rafflesia Arnoldi and Amorphophallus Titanium - the largest flowers in the world

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

What is there on our amazing and unique planet! Sometimes you wonder when you meet unusual animals, inhabitants of the deep sea or plants. They, like people, are trying to adapt to life on earth, evolving over the years and acquiring forms and abilities that allow them to survive. There are many interesting plants on the planet, but I would like to highlight among them and take a closer look at the largest flowers in the world. Rafflesia Arnoldi deserved the title of the largest and widest representative of the flora.

Champion grows in the tropical forests of Indonesia and the Philippines. It was first discovered in 1818 by English botanist Joseph Arnold and naturalist Stamford Raffles on the island of Sumatra. By the way, the flower was named after its discoverers. Rafflesia Arnoldi was recognized by the whole world in the 19th century, but this does not mean that no one had seen this plant before. The locals have known about it for a long time and called it the "lotus flower". In nature, there are 16 types of rafflesia.

The largest flowers in the world reach one meter in diameter and weigh about 10 kg. This plant-parasite, because it is not able to independently synthesize the necessary mineral and organic substances. Seeds get into the damaged areas of the vines, which germinate there and parasitize, penetrating into the tissues. Rafflesia Arnoldi is also called the "corpse flower" or "corpse lily", and all thanks to its disgusting smell. The brick red color and the stench of decaying meat attract flies that pollinate the plant.

The biggest flowers in the world grow very slowly. Until the bud blooms, it will take about 9 months. After ripening, a fruit is formed, which can only be crushed by a very large animal, such as an elephant. Rafflesia Arnoldi consists of five petals that bloom in four days. It has no leaves, roots or stems, it grows straight from the vine. One fruit produces about 3 million seeds.

The title "The largest flowers in the world" is not only Rafflesia Arnoldi, but also the tallest plant - Amorphophallus Titanium, also called "snake palm", "corpse flower", "Vudu lily". Its inflorescence reaches 3 meters in height. This is a structure assembled from a huge number of small female and male flowers. Most of the time the plant spends in a dormant state in the form of a large tuber weighing 50 kg and up to 50 cm in diameter. In the spring, a stem appears, on which a complexly dissected leaf develops.

The largest flower in Stuttgart bloomed, its height was 3.3 m. Onethe copy grows in the English botanical garden, but Indonesia is considered its homeland. The photo of the largest flower is amazing, what can we say if you manage to see it live. But still, not every flower grower will agree to have such a giant in his collection, because Amorphophallus Titanium is not only the tallest, but also the most foul-smelling plant in the world. The flower appears only once every three years and pleases with its presence for three days, after which it fades, and 6-meter leaves grow in its place.