Rafflesia

Description:

Corpse Flower in EN/Bunga pakma in Malay). This Rafflesia is endemic to Sabah, Borneo and can grow up to 1 m in diameter. Rafflesias are parasitic flowering plants. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. It is a holoparasite of vines in the genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae), spreading its absorptive organ, the haustorium, inside the tissue of the vine. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower. The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names which translate to "corpse flower" or "meat flower". The foul odor attracts insects such as flies, which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Most species have separate male and female flowers, but a few have hermaphroditic flowers. Little is known about seed dispersal.

Habitat:

Seen in Ranau, Sabah, Borneo (2015). R. keithii is found along the eastern slopes of Mount Kinabalu in the Lohan Valley of Sabah.