Summary
- Rafflesia Arnoldii is the biggest flower in the world at 3 feet in diameter, found in Indonesia rainforests.
- Pollination of the flower involves insects attracted by the corpse-like smell for propagation.
- The flower is threatened by ecotourism and theft of buds, with inability to grow in captivity.
Corpse flower growing in the forest Image credits: Darren Kurnia via Shutterstock
A man examining the Rafflesia Arnoldi in the jungle Image credits: Herrieynaha via Shutterstock
Image credits: shankar s. via Flickr
A still shot of the titan arum inside a botanical garden Image credits: evenfh via Shutterstock
There are some pretty big flowers throughout the world, but only one can be considered the largest. The Rafflesia arnoldii — commonly known as the corpse flower or monster flower — takes the distinction of being the largest flower in the world. Its size isn't the only thing that makes the Rafflesia arnoldii flower unique. It's also an extremely smelly flower with a scent that makes it difficult to get close enough for a picture.
Discover everything you need to know about the Rafflesia arnoldii flower and why the biggest flower in the world has such a potent, off-putting smell.
What Is the Biggest Flower in the World?
The Rafflesia Arnoldii is the largest flower in the world
Native to the rainforests of Borneo, Rafflesia arnoldii flower is the biggest flower in the world. According to One Earth, Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest of the 28 species in the Rafflesia genus — another of which, Rafflesia kerrii, also produces massive flowers that can reach 43 inches in diameter. Rafflesia arnoldii are carnivorous plants that will eat flies and insects that land on them for added nutrients after luring the insects in through their unique smell.
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Where the Rafflesia Arnoldii Grows |
Size of the Rafflesia Arnoldii Flower |
What Type of Plant is The Rafflesia Arnoldii? |
|---|---|---|
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Rafflesia arnoldii cannot grow in captivity and is only found in the Sumatran Montane Rainforests ecoregion of Indonesia. |
The flower of the Rafflesia arnoldii plant can grow up to 3 feet in diameter and weight as much as 15 pounds. |
Rafflesia arnoldii are parasitic plants that feed off of theTetrastigma family of wild grape vines. |
It's surprising to know that the largest flower in the world has no roots, big leaves, or stems of its own — it's 100 percent reliant on the wild grape vines it grows off of as a parasite. In fact, Kew Gardens states that Rafflesia grows inside the bark of the grape vines, siphoning off any water and nutrients they require from their host plant before they produce their massive, singular bloom, which lasts for only a week.
The Rafflesia Arnoldii Is in Danger
The species is heading towards endangerment
While it may boggle the mind that anyone would want to make use of one of the smelliest flowers in the world, the Rafflesia arnoldii flower has been used in traditional Indonesian medicine as a pregnancy aid and even as an aphrodisiac! Ecotourism and the theft of the plant's buds are taking their toll on the number of Rafflesia arnoldii flowers around. It's hard for Rafflesia to propagate itself, and it cannot be grown in captivity due to its unique pollination and growing requirements.
- In order to pollinate Rafflesia arnoldii, a fly needs to land on a male flower where its back and legs are covered in sticky, thick, liquid pollen.
- If the fly lands on a female flower during its flight over the next few miles, it may successfully pollinate that flower.
- When a female flower is pollinated it produces a 5-inch wide berry. The biggest flower in the world does everything big!
- The berry is attractive to squirrels, birds, and other creatures who eat the fruit and spread the seeds through their waste.
- It takes roughly nine months for the bud from a Rafflesia arnoldi plant to bloom, after which it dies in as little as a week.
One of the many challenges with pollination is that when Rafflesia arnoldii flowers appear, they usually do it in groups that are either all female, or all male — which makes it hard for flies to find a flower of the opposite sex.
The Smell of Rafflesia Arnoldii
Known as the corpse flower for a reason
Why does Rafflesia arnoldii smell? The rotten meat smell is a survival mechanism. In order to be pollinated, the big flowers need to attract a certain type of insect. Instead of using sweet scents to attract pollinators, Rafflesia arnoldii attracts insects that eat rotten meat, like beetles and flies. In order to attract them, the flower needs to smell like rotten meat. Unfortunately for humans, this smell isn't nearly as attractive to us — but it serves a key role in the propagation of the biggest flower in the world.
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What Rafflesia Arnoldii Smells Like |
Why Does Rafflesia Arnoldii Smell? |
How Rafflesia Arnoldii Produces its Scent |
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Rafflesia arnoldii smells like decomposing flesh or rotten meat. |
Rafflesia arnoldii uses this distinct smell to attract insects like beetles and flies that feed on rotten meat. It does this so it can be pollinated. |
A chemical known as dimethyl disulfide contains sulfur which produces the rotting meat smell of Rafflesia arnoldii. |
The putrid smell isn't the only trick Rafflesia arnoldii has up its sleeve. The biggest flower in the world also produces heat, allowing the smell of rotting meat to spread further to attract more insects.
Not the Only Corpse Flower Around
Amorphophallus titanium are also corpse flowers
If you searched to discover what is the biggest flower in the world, you're bound to stumble across another giant known as Amorphophallus titanium — or titan arum. Something that might cause some confusion is that Amorphophallus titanium produces big flowers — just like Rafflesia arnoldii — and it's also referred to as the corpse flower! Despite the similarities in name and the fact that these plants are two of the biggest flowers in the world, they are not related.
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Flower |
Size |
Lifespan |
Family |
Can it Be Grown in Capitivity? |
Is it Considered Endangered? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Rafflesia Arnoldii |
The flower can reach up to 3 feet across in diameter. |
It takes the bud nine months to bloom and the blooms last roughly a week. |
Rafflesiaceae |
No, it can only grow in the wild. |
No, there's concern for the species, but it's not endangered yet. |
|
Amorphophallus Titanium |
The tall flower grows up to 8 feet high in captivity, and up to 12 feet high in the wild. |
The flower only blooms when it's stored up enough energy underground, meaning it could bloom every few years or every few decades. The unpredictable blooming produces a flower that only lasts two to three days. |
Araceae |
Yes, the US Botanical Gardens have several specimens. |
Yes, this species is considered endangered. |
According to the United States Botanical Garden, Amorphophallus titanium takes the title of the flower with the largest un-branched inflorescence. That means it has one tall flowering stem that is really a group of little individual flowers. Rafflesia arnoldii has the largest single flower in the world. However, despite their differences, the two biggest flowers in the world are both native to the tropical rainforest of Sumatra, Indonesia and both produce a terrible smell alongside heat to attract insects that are drawn to the smell of rotting meat.
Admire The Plant From a Distance
It's best to keep your distance from Rafflesia arnoldii — for preservation of both the big flower and your sense of smell!
Rafflesia arnoldii is the biggest flower in the world, and it's large, reddish brown petals are a marvel if you get a chance to see them.
However, it's best to keep your distance from Rafflesia arnoldii — for preservation of both the big flower and your sense of smell!