World's largest flower

Rafflesia Arnoldi (The World's largest flower)

On exotic islands of the Malay Archipelago - Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java - you can find a real miracle of nature: the world's largest flower Rafflesia Arnoldi called. The scientific name he received because of its discoverers: Raffles officer and botanist Arnold, but the locals have long called it "bungapatma" that is, "Lotus Flower" and credited him with miraculous healing properties.

This unusual plant has no leaves or roots, and because of such features of the structure are unable to produce all it needs for living organic matter. Therefore, a huge flower stalks parasite on vines, grow into the wood thin filaments that resemble mycelium.

The largest flower Rafflesia found instance reached 106.7 cm in diameter, but the average size, after all, do not exceed 90 cm. Weight plant may be about 6 kg, and its thick fleshy petals grow to a length of about 46 cm.

The appearance and smell of a flower Rafflesia associated with rotting meat: five huge petals of bright red color with white growths attract flies that pollinate the plant. Insects fall into the male flower, where they stick back pollen, and then carry his burden to female flowers, thus fertilizing them ovules.

After that, within seven months of the ovary develops fruit that carries the millions of tiny seeds. To breeding process went on, the flower needs help of some large animal: accidentally crushing the fruit, it carries the seeds of a new habitat.