The World’s Biggest And Stinkiest Flowers Are Facing Extinction

All 42 known species of the parasitic plant genus Rafflesia, often known as ‘corpse flowers’, are endangered due to runaway destruction of their tropical forest habitats.

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Rafflesia flowers that grow on hanging roots are a rare phenomenon (Usually Rafflesia flowers grow on roots near the ground surface.) This photograph of a Rafflesia that is flowering from hanging roots was taken in the Batang Palupuah Nature Reserve, West Sumatra, Indonesia. (Credit: Maizal / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Some of the world’s most enigmatic plants are the mysterious Rafflesia species that occur throughout southeast Asia. As plants go, Rafflesia species are wildly weird. They live hidden inside a vine most of the time, lack any observable leaves, stems or roots — they even lack chlorophyll, thus, they cannot do as most plants do: they cannot photosynthesize. Of course, this made me wonder how do we know Rafflesia actually are plants and not fungi?

“[L]ots of plants lack chlorophyll (and even leaves); but besides a vascular system, Rafflesia has all the floral parts you’d expect a flowering plant to have (stamens, pollen, stigma etc.) — and it produces a fruit with seeds,” explained botanist Chris Thorogood in email. Dr Thorogood is the Deputy Director & Head of Science at University of Oxford’s Botanic Garden & Arboretum where he studies speciation and adaptive radiations in cryptic parasitic and carnivorous plant groups, particularly Rafflesia species. He also is a writer and botanical artist.