World's largest flowers

🌺 Rafflesia arnoldii – The World’s Largest Flower

Scientific Name: Rafflesia arnoldii
Family: Rafflesiaceae
Genus: Rafflesia
Discovered: In 1818 by Dr. Joseph Arnold, on an expedition led by Sir Stamford Raffles
Common Name: Corpse flower (note: not to be confused with Amorphophallus titanum)

Native to:
- Rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia
Environment:
- Lowland tropical rainforests with high humidity and rich biodiversity

Trait	Description
🌸 Flower Size	Can grow up to 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter and weigh up to 11 kg (24 lbs)
🌿 No Leaves, Stems, or Roots	It's a holoparasitic plant, meaning it completely depends on its host for nutrients
🌱 Host Plant	It lives inside the Tetrastigma vine (a grapevine relative)
☠️ Smell	Emits a strong odor of rotting flesh to attract flies for pollination
⏳ Lifespan of Flower	Blooms for only 5 to 7 days, then withers quickly
🧬 No Photosynthesis	Lacks chlorophyll, so it doesn't produce its own food

Invisible Phase: Most of its life is hidden inside the host vine as thread-like structures (like fungus).
Budding: A bud slowly emerges over several months.
Blooming: The flower opens suddenly and lasts only a few days.
Pollination: Attracted by the smell, carrion flies enter the flower and transfer pollen.
Fruiting & Seeds: After pollination, it produces fruit containing many seeds, which must come into contact with a suitable host vine to germinate.

Threats:
- Habitat destruction due to deforestation and logging
- Ecotourism pressure and illegal harvesting
Conservation Efforts:
- Protected in some national parks
- Local conservation programs and awareness campaigns
IUCN Status: Not formally evaluated for all species, but generally considered vulnerable or endangered

Would you like a diagram of its life cycle, a summary for a school project, or a comparison with other large flowers like Titan arum?