In the heart of the rainforests of Southeast Asia grows an extraordinary flower, considered the largest in the world. We are talking about Rafflesia, a parasitic plant belonging to the family Rafflesiaceae which can exceed one meter in diameter and weigh up to ten kilos. As mentioned, it is the largest single flower in the world and unfortunately risks disappearing.
The smell of survival
The beauty of this plant hides a disconcerting characteristic: when it blooms, it emits a nauseating odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. This is why local populations call it “corpse plant” or “flesh plant”, a name that really fits perfectly. The smell attracts flies and other insects that feed on carrion, the very ones the plant needs to reproduce.
A rootless parasite
Rafflesia is an obligate parasite – an organism that cannot complete its life cycle without being completely dependent on a host, both for survival and reproduction, a total dependence, as in the case of viruses – which has no leaves, no stem, no real roots. For much of its existence it lives hidden inside the vines of the Tetrastigma genus – belonging to the genus family Vitaceaethe same as the common vine – from which it absorbs water and nutrients. The only visible part is the flower, a fleshy structure with five spotted red lobes that suddenly emerges from the body of the host plant.
A precarious life cycle
The life cycle is long and complicated, given that even years can pass from seed to bud. The bud takes up to nine months to mature, and when it finally opens – almost always at night – the flower remains alive for only a few days. A very short time window to complete playback.
A race against time
Chris Thorogood, deputy director of the Botanical Gardens at Oxford University, has been studying these enigmatic plants for years. He and other researchers call themselves “Rafflesiologists,” a small group of scientists concerned that these flowers may disappear before they are fully understood.
The data is alarming. Of the 42 known species of Rafflesia, 25 are classified as critically endangered, 15 as endangered and two as vulnerable. According to Thorogood’s estimates, about 60% of all known species are seriously at risk of extinction. At least 67% of known habitats are located outside protected areas, which further aggravates the situation.
Deforestation: the main threat
The main threat is deforestation. When forests are cut down to make room for agriculture, both the Rafflesia and the vines that host them disappear: without Tetrastigma Rafflesia cannot exist, because as previously mentioned the link between parasite and host is absolute.
The difficult game of reproduction
Reproduction represents another obstacle. The flowers are unisexual: there are plants with only male flowers and plants with only female flowers, therefore, for pollination to occur, two plants of opposite sex must flower at the same time and be within a short distance. Given the rarity of the plants and the brevity of flowering, the chances are very low.
The male flowers produce a thick, sticky pollen, similar to butter left out of the refrigerator, so the flies enter the flowers looking for a place to lay their eggs and the pollen sticks to their bodies. What happens next remains a mystery. Scientists are still not sure how the pollen reaches the female flowers. Even the dispersal of the seeds is unclear: some think that ants transport them, others that small mammals such as tupaia ingest them and spread them in their feces.
The critical situation in the Philippines
In the Philippines the situation is particularly serious, as the high level of endemism, combined with forest degradation and poor government oversight, puts Philippine species at greater risk than other areas of Southeast Asia. Rafflesia leonardi, for example, may already be extinct due to a devastating typhoon in 2018, while Rafflesia baletei survives only in a small, isolated area of secondary forest, surrounded by plantations.
Poaching adds another pressure: the buds are collected and sold for their supposed medicinal properties, and the plant cannot grow in captivity, making it even more difficult to protect it.
Signs of hope from local communities
Yet something is moving. In some places, local communities have started cultivating Rafflesia by applying seeds from mature flowers onto host vines. We can cite the case of the city of Bukittinggi, in West Sumatra, where gardeners have obtained encouraging results, and that in the Philippines, where the Rafflesia mixta site near Maragusan has been declared a Critical Habitat Area and local tourist associations have been created to promote conservation.
The cultural meaning for indigenous peoples
For indigenous communities, such as the Temiar and Jahai of Malaysia, Rafflesia holds deep cultural significance. They believe that the flowers contain the spirits of the forest and are an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. For example, a sudden flowering could signal the arrival of the monsoons, or a symptom of important ecological changes taking place.
Ecotourism: opportunities and risks
Ecotourism could represent an opportunity for salvation for the species. Visiting the places where Rafflesia blooms attracts curious people from all over the world, creating an economic incentive to protect the forests. But caution is needed, because tourism activities must follow scientists’ recommendations to avoid disturbing the natural environment and causing further damage.
Larger initiatives are taking shape. A clear example is the Heart of Borneo programme, supported by the governments of Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia together with the WWF, which focuses on the preservation of intact forests in Borneo, which are fundamental for rare plants such as Rafflesia.
Towards a new icon of conservation
Adriane Tobias, a Philippine forester and co-author of a recent study, highlights how conservation programs are more likely to succeed if they involve local communities. “Indigenous peoples are among the best guardians of our forests,” he says. “Rafflesia has the potential to become a new conservation icon in the Asian tropics.”
Thorogood agrees. He hopes the world’s largest flower will become a symbol for plant conservation. “Plants are fundamental to our existence: the air we breathe, the food we eat, the medicines we take. Yet many people barely notice them,” he says. “We are more accustomed to seeing animals in the world around us. But plants are the basis of the habitats in which animals thrive.”
The final challenge
The challenge is great, we need greater protection for habitats, better propagation techniques, community involvement and cooperation between countries. Time is running out and if we don’t act quickly, the flower that smells of death could truly die, bringing with it a myriad of botanical secrets yet to be discovered.
