Did you know that the world’s largest flower smells rotten?
That’s right, the world’s largest flower (corpse flower) smells rotten. Its smell attracts insects that pollinate the plant. What is the largest flower in the world?
Do you like flowers? Perhaps it is the color or the aroma of a flower that you like the most about it. So you may never want to smell the world’s largest flower.
Rafflesia Arnoldi
The rafflesia arnoldi is the largest flower in the world. It can measure up to a meter long and weigh about 7 kilograms. Its petals are not small at all, as they grow up to half a meter long and are about 2.5 centimeters thick.
More than its enormous size, the Rafflesia is known for its scent. This blood-red flower smells like rotting meat. Hence, it is also called “corpse flower”, just like the Amorphophallus titanum flower , as both smell quite bad. The bad smell of this flower attracts flies, which help pollinate the plants.
This gigantic flower is one of the rarest tropical plants in the world. It only grows in Sumatra, Malaysia and Borneo. It has no stem, leaves or roots. Actually, it is a parasitic plant, that is, it takes the nutrients it needs to grow from another plant.
It was discovered on an expedition in 1818 by Thomas Stamford Raffles, founder of the British colony of Singapore, and by Joseph Arnold, who died of malaria on the expedition. Hence its name rafflesia arnoldi .
Unfortunately, the plant is in danger of extinction due to deforestation in the forests of Sumatra.
Amorphophallus titanum
We cannot leave out of this article the other largest flower in the world. This flower can grow up to three meters high. But unlike Rafflesia , this rain forest flower is made up of hundreds of buds on a single stem at a single flower site.
This is an example of an inflorescence. Which is a cluster of flowers that sit on a ‘central axis’, that is a stem, branch or system of branches. It contains the peduncle (supporting stem), the bract (a specialized leaf that serves as the axis of the inflorescence), the pedicel (flower stem), and the flower itself.
Amorphophallus titanum grows in the tropical and subtropical zones of the tropical paleozone, from West Africa to the Pacific Islands, and in fact it is very rare to find it in the wild. Although it can be seen in various gardens around the world. But its blooms are quite infrequent, so it’s hard to see an Amorphophallus flower .
After three days, the flower dies and rots, leaving only a black, gelatinous mass.
This flower also smells like rotting meat, and like Rafflesia it attracts pollinators with its unpleasant smell. Both flowers fight for the title of the corpse flower and the largest flower in the world.
In May 2003, the University of Bonn (Germany) presented a live specimen of 2.74 m in height.
What do you think of these giant flowers on our curious planet?
Something else on our curious planet
In the natural world we don’t just see giant flowers. We also see varied plants and trees. That is why I invite you to see the 25 curious facts about trees that you did not know. If you want more curious facts you can read this entry: 125 Short Curious Facts that will leave you speechless .
You may also be interested in this article: Did you know that flowers smell less and less? And did you know that when giving a rose you are using floriography?
