The Corpse Flower

Rafflesia is a genus of flowering plants that is made up of of 16 known species. It was discovered in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr. Joseph Arnold in 1818, and named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the leader of the expedition.

In Sabah, the flower and host vine Tetrastigma are protected under the state's Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997. Rafflesia species are protected in a number of reserves within their range such as Kinabalu Park in Sabah on the island of Borneo. R. keithii, R. pricei and R. tengku-adlinii are found only in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). Most flowers in the genus give off and smell of rotting flesh, hence its local name of “corpse flower.”

Take over a year to flower, the rarest and largest flowers can be seen at Poring (Kinabalu National Park) and the Rafflesia Centre (Crocker Range National Park). The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower. The flowers, which sit directly on the forest floor is an endoparasite of vines in the genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae), spreading its root-like haustoria inside the tissue of the vine. This smell attracts flies, which pollinate the plant. The center of the flowers contain numerous spikes whose function are unknown, and it also holds several gallons of nectar. The fruit produced is round and about 15 cm in diameter, with thousands of tiny seeds.

Usage and potential
1. Food:
In Thailand, young buds of the flower are eaten as a delicacy.

2. Medicine:
In Peninsular Malaysia, Rafflesia buds are used by women to stop internal bleeding and shrink the womb after childbirth. Men use it as an energy drink or an aphrodisiac. Thai monks use the buds to make different concoctions for different purposes. In spite of its usage for various purposes, the chemical composition of Rafflesia flowers has not been extensively analysed yet. Preliminary phytochemical screening, however showed no evidence of the flowers' medicinal properties. On the contrary, the buds and flowers have a high content of tannin and phenols which can be toxic when taken in large quantities.

3. Other uses
In Sabah, Malaysia, it was considered a flower of spirits or a taboo flower because of its foul smell and gigantic appearance. In Thailand, the flowers are believed to have mystical powers helping one attain nirvana.

Sources

1. http://www.earlham.edu/~givenbe/Rafflesia/rafflesia/biodiv2.htm
2. http://rafflesiainformationcentre.wikidot.com/about-rafflesia
3. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_38_2005-01-22.html
4. http://www.eglinpix.com/borneo_01.htm
5. http://www.arkive.org/rafflesia/rafflesia-spp/info.html
6. http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/Rafflesiaceae/Raff.pricei.page.html



p/s More info at Rafflesia Information Centre, Tambunan