A scientific expedition in Sumatra, Indonesia came to a poignant end after the discovery of a very rare specimen of… Rafflesia hasseltiIt is a giant parasitic flower that is difficult to locate. Until now, most of the available material on these species has come from 19th-century illustrations.
Local biologist Septian “Dickie” Andrekithatwho had been searching for the plant for 13 years, fell to his knees and cried when he saw it. A video posted on social media on Monday shows his reaction.
British botanist Chris Thorogood, an associate professor at Oxford University who was responsible for capturing the photos of that moment, said: “I have been looking for this flower for 13 years.
According to Thorogood, this species is very difficult to detect “Tigers see it more than humans.”.
“It grows deep in the forest, at night, and it took us two days of walking, day and night, just to find it,” said the researcher at
Thorogood described the experience of being silent in front of a plant as: Something unusual.
This rarity is explained by the life cycle of Rafflesia hassseltii: the cocoon takes up to nine months to develop and remains open for only a few days.
The flower, about the size of a watermelon, slowly opened its petals throughout the night.Allowing scientists to record the bloom for the first time. This species, which is completely parasitic, lives on tropical vines and only emerges to flower, a period that lasts about a week.
In addition to its unusual appearance, the plant emits an odor similar to rotting meat.It is a strategy that attracts flies for pollination. However, the scent is less intense than that of other species of the genus, such as Rafflesia arnoldii, which is the largest in the world, and is known as the “corpse flower.”
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