The largest scavenger flower in the world blooms in Indonesia

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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