Giant scavenger flowers up to 111cm in diameter, far beyond the 107cm record of an individual species of the same species bloom a few years ago.
Rafflesia tuan-mudae grows in some Southeast Asian countries.
Conservationists find the largest Rafflesia tuan-mudae flower ever in a nature reserve in the village of Marambuang Nagarai Barini in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Locals said this was the first flower to bloom in a cluster of five plants. According to Ade Putra, an officer of the Agam District Conservation Agency, the flower will bloom for a week and then wither and die.
Rafflesia tuan-mudae is named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the first person to see this flower in Indonesia in the early 19th century. Rafflesia tuan-mudae grows in several Southeast Asian countries. A 100 cm diameter specimen was once recorded in the Philippines.
Scavengers live parasitically on tetrastigma vines. When the sprout takes root in the vine, it grows for about 9 months before it blooms into bright orange-red flowers with dappled white spots. In a week's time, the characteristic floral fragrance attracts flies, which spread pollen to other vines. Rafflesia tuan-mudae emits a strong smell like another scavenger flower in Indonesia named Amorphophallus titanum , with a height of up to 3 meters.
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