World’s Largest’ Flower – Giant Rafflesia Tuan-Mudae Spotted In Indonesia

Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com – World’s largest flower has just been spotted by conservationists in Indonesia.

Named Rafflesia after British colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles who spotted one in Indonesia in the early 19th Century, the giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae is a fleshy red flower with white blister-like spots on its enormous petals. The flower’s bloom will only last about one week before it will wither and rot.

The huge flower now came in at a whopping 111 centimeters (3.6 foot) in diameter.

World's Largest' Flower - Giant Rafflesia Tuan-Mudae Spotted In Indonesia

The bloom of the giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae only lasts about one week before it withers and rots. Credit: AP

That’s bigger than the previous record of 107 centimeters on a bloom also found in the jungles of West Sumatra several years ago.

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“This is the largest Rafflesia tuan-mudae that has ever been documented,” said Ade Putra at the Agam Conservation Agency in Sumatra.

The species grows in several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines where a 100 centimeter specimen was recorded.

World's Largest' Flower - Giant Rafflesia Tuan-Mudae Spotted In Indonesia

The giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae grows in several Southeast Asian countries. Credit: AP

The parasitic bloom, sometimes referred to as corpse flower, mimics the stench of rotting meat to attract insects.

Sharing that noxious smell is Indonesia’s Amorphophallus titanum, a phallus-shaped flower that can reach heights of up to three meters (10 feet).

Written by Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer