The vast archipelago and the great number of island has made Indonesia the home of a large variety of plant life. The Indonesian flora ranges from the tiny orchid to the giant rafflesia plant. No wonder many botanist are curious to study this plants.
The rafflesia arnoldi is the biggest flower in the world. It is unusual because of its large size. It has a flower almost a meter in diameter and 1.40 meters in height.
“Rafflesia” is derived from the name of the British Governor General, Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles, who once governed and built the Botanical Gardens in Bogor. Though it is called Rafflesia after Raffles, the man who discovered the plant was Beccary, an Italian botanist who visited Sumatra in 1928.
Rafflesia is consist of two part : the stick-like part which grows in the middle and the petals around and below it.
The rafflesia plant begins to flower in its tenth year. Its blooms three or four times a year. Before its begins to flower, the leaves and the stem become dry and look dead, but the main root in the ground is still alive.
While the flower is blossoming, it has a very unpleasant smell with attracts insect, especially green flies. They seem eager to explore the flower. But if the flies touch the bottom part of the stick, like centre, they die.
Ditulis oleh remehtemehsaja
