Rafflesia icon

Rafflesia

Wildflower

A giant flower the size of a car tyre that reeks of rotting meat — and lives hidden as a parasite inside a jungle vine.

Rafflesia
Rafflesia

💡 Fun Facts

  • It makes the biggest single flower in the world — as wide as a car tyre!
  • It smells like rotting meat to trick flies into pollinating it.
  • It is a hidden parasite, living inside a jungle vine and only appearing when it flowers.

🎴 Field Research Data Cards

Picture
Units

Rafflesia

S
Rafflesia
PollinationCarrion flies — it mimics rotting meat in both smell and colour
Seed DispersalTiny seeds thought to be spread by ground mammals and ants; poorly understood
DefencesNone notable — it has no leaves or stem; the stench is for attraction, not defence
Special AbilityA leafless, rootless, stemless parasite that lives entirely inside a jungle vine, emerging only to flower
Flowering SeasonIrregular — a bud takes months to form and the open flower lasts only a few days
Seeds / YearMany thousands of tiny seeds per fruit; very few ever survive
Human UsesAn ecotourism icon; used in traditional South-East Asian medicine
Record TraitWorld's largest single flower — up to about 100 cm across (record about 111 cm) and 10 to 11 kg