What is "Rafflesia"?

Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. The genus contains approximately 28 species, all found in Southeast Asia, mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

The plant has no stems, leaves or roots. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petalled flower. In some species, such as "Rafflesia arnoldii", the flower may be over 100 centimetres (40 in) in diameter, and weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb). The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh. The foul odour attracts insects such as carrion flies, which transport pollen from male to female flowers.

Robert Brown introduced the genus "Rafflesia" to the wider scientific world in a presentation before the Linnean Society of London in June 1820, but his scientific paper on the subject was only published in late 1821.

In Thailand the buds and flowers of Rafflesia are considered a delicacy. They are also harvested for herbalism, a concoction is believed to act as a sexual stimulant and to help for fever or backache. In the Philippines the plants are also used in folk herbalism, but the flowers are also fed to swine as fodder. On Java the buds of Rafflesia are harvested and dried for use in "jamu", the ancient traditional herbalism of the island.