Editing Rafflesia

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Rafflesia arnoldii Bengkulu 01.jpg
|image_caption = ''Rafflesia arnoldii'' flowers in [[Bengkulu]], Indonesia
|taxon = Rafflesia
|authority = [[Robert Brown (Scottish botanist from Montrose)|R.Br.]] ex [[Thomas Thomson (chemist)|Thomson bis]]<ref name=ipni>{{cite web |title=''Rafflesia'' |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/325976-2 |website=[[International Plant Names Index]] |publisher=The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens |access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>
|subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
|subdivision = See [[#Accepted species|Classification]] section
|type_species =''[[Rafflesia arnoldii]]'' R.Br.
}}

'''''Rafflesia''''' ({{IPAc-en|r|ə|ˈ|f|l|iː|z|(|i|)|ə|,_|-|ˈ|f|l|iː|ʒ|(|i|)|ə|,_|r|æ|-}}),<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref> or '''stinking corpse lily''',<ref name="McNeely"/> is a [[genus]] of [[Parasitic plants|parasitic]] [[flowering plant]]s in the family [[Rafflesiaceae]].<ref name="POWO">{{cite web|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77089854-1#children|title=''Rafflesia'' R.Br. ex Gray |date= 2022 |work= Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=29 November 2022 }}</ref> The species have enormous flowers, the buds rising from the ground or directly from the lower stems of their [[host plant]]s; one species has the largest flower in the world. [[Plants of the World Online]] lists up to 41 species from this genus;<ref name="POWO"/> all of them are found throughout [[Southeast Asia]].

Western Europeans first learned about plants of this genus from French surgeon and naturalist [[Louis Auguste Deschamps|Louis Deschamps]] when he was in [[Java]] between 1791 and 1794; but his notes and illustrations were seized by the British in 1798 and were not available to Western scientists until 1861.<ref name=Meijer1997>{{cite book |last=Willem |first=Meijer |author-link=Willem Meijer |date=1997 |chapter=Rafflesiaceae |chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28736996 |title=Flora Malesiana |url=https://floramalesiana.org/new/ |volume=13 |location=Leiden |publisher=[[Hortus Botanicus Leiden]], under auspices of Foundation [[Flora Malesiana]] |pages=1–42 |isbn=90-71236-33-1}}</ref> The first British person to see one was [[Joseph Arnold]] in 1818, in the Indonesia [[rainforest]] in [[Bengkulu]], [[Sumatra]], after a Malay servant working for him discovered a flower and pointed it out to him.<ref name=Keng1978>{{cite book |last=Keng |first=Hsuan |date=1978 |title=Orders and Families of Malayan Seed Plants |edition=revised |location=Singapore |publisher=Singapore University Press (original published by University of Malaya Press 1969) |page=106 }}</ref> The flower, and the genus, was later named after [[Stamford Raffles]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rafflesia |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_38_2005-01-22.html |access-date=30 September 2022 |website=Infopedia |publisher=[[Government of Singapore]]}}</ref> the leader of the expedition and the founder of the [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|British colony]] of [[Singapore]].<!-- Sang Nila Utama was the founder of Singapore, Raffles was just the leader of the British colony there centuries later-->

The following is from Arnold's account of discovering the flower:<ref name=Keng1978/>
{{Blockquote|text=Here I rejoice to tell you I happened to meet with what I consider as the greatest prodigy of the vegetable world. I had ventured some way from the party, when one of the Malay servants came running to me ... To tell you the truth, had I been alone, and had there been no witnesses, I should, I think, have been fearful of mentioning the dimensions of this flower, so much does it exceed every flower I have seen or heard of.}}

Vivid contemporary accounts documenting some of the most inaccessible species of Rafflesia are described in the popular science book, ''[[Pathless Forest]]: The Quest to Save the World's Largest Flowers'', by botanist Chris Thorogood based at the [[University of Oxford Botanic Garden]].

== Description ==
[[File:Preserved_Rafflesia_displayed_in_Philippine_National_Museum.jpg|thumb|Replica of ''Rafflesia'' flower displayed in [[National Museum of Natural History (Manila)|National Museum of Natural History]] in Manila.]]
The plant has no stems, leaves or roots. It is a [[holoparasite]] of vines in the genus ''[[Tetrastigma]]'' (a plant in the [[Vitaceae]], the grape vine family), spreading its absorptive organ, the [[haustorium]], inside the tissue of the vine.<ref name=Harvard>{{cite magazine | last = Shaw | first = Jonathan | title = Colossal Blossom: Pursuing the peculiar genetics of a parasitic plant | url = https://harvardmagazine.com/2017/03/colossal-blossom | date = March–April 2017 | magazine = [[Harvard Magazine]] | access-date = 27 June 2017}}</ref> 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 {{convert|100|cm|in|-1}} in diameter, and weigh up to {{convert|10|kg|lb}}. A ''Rafflesia'' that flowered in [[West Sumatra]] in 2019 was measured to be almost {{convert|4|ft|cm}} in diameter, the largest flower ever recorded – {{convert|4|in|cm}} wider than the flower reported as the largest in 2017.<ref name=CNN>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/world/worlds-largest-flower-indonesia-scn-trnd/index.html|title=Scientists just found one of the world's largest flowers blooming in an Indonesian jungle|author=Scottie Andrew|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> Even one of the smallest species, ''[[Rafflesia baletei|R. baletei]]'', has {{convert|12|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} diameter flowers.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} A team of  morphologists and geneticists headed by Prof. Charles Davis of [[Harvard]] has discovered an important difference  between ''Rafflesia'' spp. and the very similar ''[[Sapria]]'' spp.   In both genera the petals are now described as sepals (or more correctly as "petaloid tepals") instead of vaguely defined "perigon lobes".  In ''Sapria'', the "diaphragm"  is a true [[Corona (perianth)|corona]] while in ''Rafflesia'' the diaphragm is made up of [[Adnation|adnate]] petals to form a dome, the true corona being greatly reduced.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/11/stages-of-bloom/ | website= [[Harvard University#Harvard University Gazette|Harvard Gazette]] News | last= Reuell | first= Peter | title= Stages of Bloom | date= November 4, 2014 | access-date= November 9, 2022}}</ref>

The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh. The foul odour attracts insects such as [[Calliphoridae|carrion flies]], which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Most species are [[dioecious]], having separate male and female flowers, but a few (''R. baletei'' and ''[[Rafflesia verrucosa|R. verrucosa]]'') have hermaphroditic flowers.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.11646/phytotaxa.253.3.4|title=''Rafflesia parvimaculata'' (Rafflesiaceae), a new species of ''Rafflesia'' from Peninsular Malaysia|year=2016|last1=Sofiyanti|first1=Nery|last2=Mat-Salleh|first2=Kamarudin|last3=Mahmud|first3=Khairil|last4=Mazlan|first4=NOR Zuhailah|last5=Hasein|first5=Mohd. ROS. Albukharey|last6=Burslem|first6=David F.R.P.|journal=Phytotaxa|volume=253|issue=3|page=207}}</ref> Little is known about seed dispersal. [[Scandentia|Tree shrews]] and other forest mammals eat the fruits.<ref name=OriginalKew>{{cite web |url=https://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Rafflesia-arnoldii.htm |title=''Rafflesia arnoldii'' (corpse flower) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2011 |website=Plants & Fungi (blog) |publisher=[[Kew Botanical Gardens]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220014520/https://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Rafflesia-arnoldii.htm |access-date=29 October 2020 |archive-date=2014-02-20 |quote=note: unverified errata info possibly from Mabberley (1985)}}</ref> The extremely tiny seeds have extremely tiny [[elaiosome]]s, and are thus most likely dispersed by ants. The seeds are packed into berries, each of which contains hundreds of thousands of seeds.<ref name=Harvard/>

Because ''[[Amorphophallus]]'' has the world's largest unbranched [[inflorescence]], it is sometimes mistakenly credited as having the world's largest flower. Both ''Rafflesia'' and ''Amorphophallus'' are flowering plants, but they are unrelated to each other. ''[[Rafflesia arnoldii]]'' has the largest ''single'' flower of any flowering plant, at least in terms of weight. ''[[Amorphophallus titanum]]'' has the largest ''unbranched'' inflorescence, while the talipot palm (''[[Corypha umbraculifera]]'') forms the largest ''branched'' inflorescence, containing thousands of flowers; the talipot is [[monocarpic]], meaning the individual plants die after flowering.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

''Rafflesia'' are also remarkable for showing a large [[Horizontal gene transfer|horizontal transfer of genes]] from their host plants. This is well known among bacteria, but not higher organisms. It occurs in the [[mitochondria]] (originally derived from bacteria) found within the cells of ''Rafflesia''; these appear to have exchanged genes with the mitochondria of the host tissue.<ref name=Harvard/><ref name=Molina2014>{{cite journal |first1=Jeanmaire |last1=Molina |first2=Khaled M. |last2=Hazzouri |first3=Daniel |last3=Nickrent |first4=Matthew |last4=Geisler |first5=Rachel S. |last5=Meyer |first6=Melissa M. |last6=Pentony |first7=Jonathan M. |last7=Flowers |first8=Pieter |last8=Pelser |first9=Julie |last9=Barcelona |first10=Samuel Alan |last10=Inovejas |first11=Iris |last11=Uy |first12=Wei |last12=Yuan |first13=Olivia |last13=Wilkins |first14=Claire-Iphanise |last14=Michel1 |first15=Selina |last15=LockLear |first16=Gisela P. |last16=Concepcion |first17=Michael D. |last17=Purugganan |display-authors=5 |url= |title=Possible Loss of the Chloroplast Genome in the Parasitic Flowering Plant ''Rafflesia lagascae'' (Rafflesiaceae) |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution |year=2014 |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=793–803 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msu051 |pmid=24458431 |pmc=3969568}}</ref>

== Names ==
[[File:Bunga Rafflesia Di Akar Gantung.jpg|thumb|right|''Rafflesia'' on hanging roots. [[West Sumatra]], Indonesia.]]
In [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] and [[Malaysian language|Malaysian]], it is known as ''padma''. The species ''R. arnoldii'' is known as  ''padma raksasa'' ("giant ''padma''").<ref name=kamus>{{Cite book | last = Atmosumarto | first = Sutanto | title = A learner's comprehensive dictionary of Indonesian | publisher = Atma Stanton | year = 2004 | pages = 445 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0PV0NSjCdFAC&pg=PA445 | isbn = 9780954682804}}</ref> In [[Javanese language|Javanese]] it is called ''patma''.<ref name=Burkill1930>{{cite journal |last=Burkill |first=Isaac Henry |author-link=Isaac Henry Burkill |date=April 1930 |title=An Index to the Malay Vernacular Names with comments |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43666335 |journal=The Gardens' Bulletin; Straits Settlements |volume=3 |issue=6 (part 2) |pages=300 |access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref> In [[Malay language|Malay]], the 'normal' ''R. hasseltii'' is vernacularly known as ''pakma'', ''patma'' or ''ambai-ambai'',<ref name=Keng1978/><ref name=Burkill1930/><ref name=sealang>{{cite web |url=http://sealang.net/malay/dictionary.htm |title=Searching native orthography for "patma", "pakma" |author=Sir Richard James Wilkinson (primarily based on the works of) |website=SEAlang Library Malay |publisher=SEAlang |access-date=28 October 2020}}</ref> whereas the goliath ''R. arnoldii'' from Sumatra is called ''krubut'' or ''kerubut'', 'great flower'.<ref name=Keng1978/><ref name=sealang/> The words ''padma'', ''pakma'' or ''patma'' originate etymologically from the word पद्म (''padma''), [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] for '[[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]]'.<ref name=sealang/>

In English ''Rafflesia'' is known as the stinking corpse lily.<ref name="McNeely">{{cite book |last1=McNeely |first1=Jeffrey A. |last2=Wachtel |first2=Paul Spencer |title=Soul of the Tiger: Searching for Nature's Answers in Southeast Asia |date=1991 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195885736 |page=260 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymwhAQAAMAAJ&q=rafflesia+corpse+flower+inpublisher:university |access-date=March 17, 2024 |quote=Rare plants of the area include the Rafflesia, the world's broadest flower which is appropriately named the stinking corpse lily—a parasitic plant with neither stem nor leaves whose three-foot-wide blossom exudes a most disagreeable scent; and the five-foot-tall phallus lily, a plant whose name reflects its structure but[...]}}</ref> It is also known as "corpse flower", or ''bunga bangkai'' in Indonesian,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sharp |first1=Ilsa |title=Green Indonesia: Tropical Forest Encounters |date=1994 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9789676530455 |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1IkAQAAMAAJ&q=%22corpse%20flower%22 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |quote=You could not miss a ''Rafflesia'' if you were near one: aptly tagged ''bunga bankai'' or 'corpse flower' by the Indonesians, it smells like rotting meat, which serves to attract carrion-scavenging flies and beetles.}}</ref> a name that more commonly refers to the [[Amorphophallus titanum|titan arum]] (''Amorphophallus titanum'') of the family [[Araceae]].<ref>{{cite web |title=corpse flower |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corpse%20flower |website=merriam-webster.com |access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Harvard/> The type species ''arnoldii'' has been called the "monster flower".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hawkins |first1=R. E. |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Natural History |date=1986 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195616231 |page=114 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hfc9AAAAYAAJ&q=rafflesia+%22monster+flower%22+inpublisher:university |access-date=March 17, 2024 |quote=[...]have the same structural features of the Monster Flower, ''Rafflesia arnoldii'', but are smaller in size.}}</ref><ref name=CNN/>

== Taxonomy ==
[[Robert Brown (Scottish botanist from Montrose)|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.<ref name=ipni/>

In 1999 the British botanical historian [[David Mabberley]] pointed out that the genus ''Rafflesia'' was first validated by an anonymous report on the meeting published in the ''Annals of Philosophy'' in September 1820 (the name was technically an unpublished ''[[nomen nudum]]'' until this publication). Mabberley claimed the author was [[Samuel Frederick Gray]].<ref name=Mabberley1999>{{cite journal |last=Mabberley |first=David John |author-link=David Mabberley |date=1999 |title=Robert Brown on ''Rafflesia'' |url=https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/525222/BLUM1999044002003.pdf |journal=Blumea |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=343–350 |issn=2212-1676 |access-date=28 October 2020}}</ref> However, as that is nowhere stated in the ''Annals'', per Article 46.8 of the code of ICBN, Mabberley was wrong to formally ascribe the validation to Gray. The validation of the name was thus attributed to one Thomas Thomson, the editor of the ''Annals'' in 1820, by the IPNI. Mabberley admitted his error in 2017.<ref name=ipni/> This Thomson was not the botanist [[Thomas Thomson (botanist)|Thomas Thomson]], who was three years old in 1820, but his [[Thomas Thomson (chemist)|identically named father]], a chemist.<ref name=ipni3>{{cite web |title=Thomson bis |url=https://www.ipni.org/?q=Thomson%20bis |website=[[International Plant Names Index]] |publisher=The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens |access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>

== Evolution and phylogeny ==
[[Image:Rafflesia 80 cm.jpg|thumb|''Rafflesia keithii'' bloom, approximately 80&nbsp;cm in diameter near Taman Nasional Rafflesia [[Bengkulu]], Indonesia]]
[[Image:Rafflesia kerrii flower closeup.jpg|thumb|''Rafflesia kerrii'' flower near [[Langkat]], Indonesia]]
[[Image:Rafflesia sp Kinabalu2.jpg|thumb|Three ''Rafflesia pricei'' growing in close proximity near [[Mount Kinabalu]], Borneo]]

Comparison of [[mitochondrial DNA]] (mtDNA) sequences of ''Rafflesia'' with other [[angiosperm]] mtDNA indicated this parasite evolved from photosynthetic plants of the order [[Malpighiales]].<ref>{{Cite journal| author-link = Barkman, T. J. | author2= S.-H. Lim | author3=K. Mat Salleh | author4=J. Nais | title = Mitochondrial DNA sequences reveal the photosynthetic relatives of ''Rafflesia'', the world's largest flower | journal = PNAS | volume = 101 | issue = 3 | pages = 787–792 | date = January 20, 2004 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0305562101 | author = Barkman, T. J. | pmid = 14715901 | pmc = 321759 | doi-access= free }}</ref> Another 2004 study confirmed this result using both mtDNA and nuclear DNA sequences, and showed the three other groups traditionally classified in Rafflesiaceae were unrelated.<ref>{{Cite journal| author-link = Nickrent, D. L. | author2=A. Blarer | author3=Y.-L. Qiu | author4=R. Vidal-Russell | author5=F. E. Anderson | title = Phylogenetic inference in Rafflesiales: the influence of rate heterogeneity and horizontal gene transfer | journal = BMC Evolutionary Biology | volume = 4 | date = October 20, 2004 | doi = 10.1186/1471-2148-4-40 | author = Nickrent, D. L. | pages = 40 | pmid = 15496229 | pmc = 528834 | doi-access=free }}</ref> A 2007 study more specifically found ''Rafflesia'' and its relatives to be embedded within the family [[Euphorbiaceae]] as traditionally [[Circumscription (taxonomy)|circumscribed]], which was surprising, as members of that family typically have very small flowers. According to their analysis, the rate of flower size evolution was more or less constant throughout the family except at the origin of [[Rafflesiaceae]], where the flowers rapidly evolved to become much larger before reverting to the slower rate of change.<ref name=DaviLatvNickWurd07/>

To maintain [[Monophyly|monophyletic]] families, in 2016 the [[APG IV system]] separated the family [[Peraceae]] from the Euphorbiaceae.<ref name=APGIV/> A summary cladogram is shown below,<ref name=DaviLatvNickWurd07>{{Citation |last1=Davis |first1=Charles C. |last2=Latvis |first2=Maribeth |last3=Nickrent |first3=Daniel L. |last4=Wurdack |first4=Kenneth J. |last5=Baum |first5=David A. |date=2007-03-30 |title=Floral Gigantism in Rafflesiaceae |journal=Science |volume=315 |issue=5820 |page=1812 |doi=10.1126/science.1135260 |pmid=17218493 |bibcode=2007Sci...315.1812D |s2cid=27620205 |name-list-style=amp |doi-access=free }}</ref> with family placements in the [[APG IV system]].<ref name=APGIV>{{Citation |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2016 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV |journal=[[Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society]] |volume=181 |issue=1 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1111/boj.12385 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
{{clade
|label1=Euphorbiaceae ''sensu lato''
|1={{clade
   |1=[[Peraceae]] (3 genera in the study)
   |2={{clade
      |label1=Rafflesiaceae
      |1={{clade
         |1=''[[Sapria]]''
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Rhizanthes]]''
            |2=''Rafflesia''
            }}
         }}
      |2=Euphorbiaceae ''sensu stricto'' (18 genera in the study)
      }}
   }}
}}

A 2010 [[Molecular phylogenetics|molecular phylogenetic]] study of 18 species of ''Rafflesia'' found that they fell into four clear-cut geographically defined groups:<ref name=BendSchuGussNais10>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last1=Bendiksby |first1=Mika |last2=Schumacher |first2=Trond |last3=Gussarova |first3=Galina |last4=Nais |first4=Jamili |last5=Mat-Salleh |first5=Kamarudin |last6=Sofiyanti |first6=Nery |last7=Madulid |first7=Domingo |last8=Smith |first8=Stephen A. |last9=Barkman |first9=Todd |date=2010-11-01 |title=Elucidating the evolutionary history of the Southeast Asian, holoparasitic, giant-flowered Rafflesiaceae: Pliocene vicariance, morphological convergence and character displacement |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=620–633 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.08.005 |pmid=20723606 |bibcode=2010MolPE..57..620B |name-list-style=amp }}</ref>
{{clade
|label1=''Rafflesia''
|1={{clade
   |label1=Philippines group
   |1={{clade
      |1=''[[Rafflesia speciosa]]''
      |2={{clade
         |1=''[[Rafflesia manillana]]''
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Rafflesia lobata]]''
            |2=''Rafflesia'' sp.
            }}
         }}
      }}
   |2={{clade
      |label1=Peninsular Malaysia group
      |1={{clade
         |1=''[[Rafflesia kerrii]]''
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Rafflesia cantleyi]]''
            |2=''[[Rafflesia azlanii]]''
            }}
         }}
      |2={{clade
         |label1=Borneo group
         |1={{clade
            |1=''[[Rafflesia tuan-mudae]]''
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Rafflesia tengku-adlinii]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Rafflesia keithii]]''
                  |2=''[[Rafflesia pricei]]''
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         |label2=Sumatra + Java group
         |2={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1=''[[Rafflesia patma]]''
               |2=''[[Rafflesia rochussenii]]''
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Rafflesia zollingeriana]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Rafflesia gadutensis]]''
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Rafflesia hasseltii]]''
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Rafflesia micropylora]]''
                        |2=''[[Rafflesia arnoldii]]''
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
However, the clear [[monophyly]] of the four geographical clades does not correspond to any clear difference in appearance. There is no consistency within the clades in the size of flowers, or the presence or absence of white warts; species in different clades resemble one another more than they do some other species within the same clade. [[Homoplasy]] – repeatedly gaining or losing traits – seems to be the rule within ''Rafflesia''.<ref name=BendSchuGussNais10/>

=== Accepted species ===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{As of|2020|October}}, [[Plants of the World Online]] accepted the following species:<ref name=POWO_77089854-1>{{cite web |title=''Rafflesia'' R.Br. ex Gray |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77089854-1 |access-date=2020-10-26 }}</ref>
*''[[Rafflesia arnoldii]]'' – [[Sumatra]], [[Borneo]]
*''[[Rafflesia aurantia]]'' – Philippines ([[Luzon]])
*''[[Rafflesia azlanii]]'' – [[Peninsular Malaysia]]
*''[[Rafflesia baletei]]'' – Philippines (Luzon)
*''[[Rafflesia banaoana]]'' <small>Malabrigo</small> – Philippines (Luzon); treated as a synonym of ''R.&nbsp;leonardi'' by other sources<ref name=SIUC>{{cite web | title = ''Rafflesia leonardi'' Barcelona & Pelser | url = https://parasiticplants.siu.edu/Rafflesiaceae/Raff.leonardi.page.html | publisher = Parasitic Plant Connection | access-date = 19 January 2022}}</ref>
*''[[Rafflesia bengkuluensis]]'' – Sumatra ([[Indonesia]]) 
*''[[Rafflesia borneensis]]'' <small>Koord.</small> – [[Indonesian Borneo]] (northeast [[Kalimantan]])
*''[[Rafflesia camarinensis]]'' <small>F.B.Valenz., Jaucian-Adan, Agoo & Madulid</small> – the [[Philippines]]
*''[[Rafflesia cantleyi]]'' – Peninsular Malaysia
*''[[Rafflesia ciliata]]'' <small>Koord.</small> – Indonesian Borneo (northeast [[Kalimantan]])
*''[[Rafflesia consueloae]]'' – Philippines (Luzon)
*''[[Rafflesia gadutensis]]'' – Sumatra ([[Indonesia]])
*''[[Rafflesia hasseltii]]'' – Sumatra
*''[[Rafflesia horsfieldii]]'' <small>R.Br.</small> – West [[Java]] (Indonesia)
*''[[Rafflesia keithii]]'' – Borneo
*''[[Rafflesia kemumu]]'' <small>Susatya, Hidayati & Riki</small> – Sumatra (Indonesia)
*''[[Rafflesia kerrii]]'' – Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia
*''[[Rafflesia lagascae]]'' – Philippines (Luzon)
*''[[Rafflesia lawangensis]]'' – Sumatra
*''[[Rafflesia leonardi]]'' – Philippines (Luzon)
*''[[Rafflesia lobata]]'' – Philippines ([[Panay]])
*''[[Rafflesia manillana]]'' – Philippines ([[Samar]])
*''[[Rafflesia meijeri]]'' <small>Wiriad. & Sari</small> – North Sumatra, Indonesia 
*''[[Rafflesia micropylora]]'' – Sumatra
*''[[Rafflesia mira]]'' – Philippines ([[Mindanao]])
*''[[Rafflesia mixta]]'' – Philippines (Mindanao)
*''[[Rafflesia parvimaculata]]'' <small>Sofiyanti, K.Mat-Salleh, Khairil, Zuhailah, Mohd.Ros. & Burs</small> – Peninsular Malaysia 
*''[[Rafflesia philippensis]]'' – Philippines (Luzon)
*''[[Rafflesia pricei]]'' – Borneo
*''[[Rafflesia rochussenii]]'' – Java, Sumatra
*''[[Rafflesia schadenbergiana]]'' – Philippines (Mindanao)
*''[[Rafflesia sharifah-hapsahiae]]'' <small>J.H.Adam, R.Mohamed, Aizat-Juhari & K.L.Wan</small> – Peninsular Malaysia
*''[[Rafflesia speciosa]]'' – Philippines ([[Panay]])
*''[[Rafflesia su-meiae]]'' <small>M. Wong, Nais & F.Gan</small> – Peninsular Malaysia
*''[[Rafflesia tengku-adlinii]]'' – Borneo ([[Sabah]])
*''[[Rafflesia tiomanensis]]'' <small>Siti-Munirah, Salamah & Razelan</small> – [[Tioman Island|Pulau Tioman]], Peninsular Malaysia<ref>{{cite journal | author1 = Siti-Munirah, Mat Yunoh | author2 = Salamah, Ahmad | author3 = Razelan, Mohd Shah | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Rafflesia tiomanensis'' (Rafflesiaceae), a new species from Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349862173 | date = March 2021 | journal = Malayan Nature Journal | volume = 73 | issue = 1 | pages = 19–26}}</ref>
*''[[Rafflesia tuan-mudae]]'' – Borneo ([[Sarawak]])
*''[[Rafflesia tuanku-halimii]]'' <small>J.H.Adam, Aizat-Juhari, Azilah & K.L.Wan</small> – Peninsular Malaysia
*''[[Rafflesia verrucosa]]'' – Philippines (Mindanao)
*''[[Rafflesia witkampii]]'' <small>Koord.</small> – Indonesian Borneo (East Kalimantan)
*''[[Rafflesia zollingeriana]]'' <small>Koord.</small> – East Java ([[Indonesia]])
{{div col end}}

=== Other names ===
*''[[Rafflesia patma]]'' – [[Java]]; considered a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''R.&nbsp;horsfieldii'' by Plants of the World Online,<ref name=POWO_77089854-1/> apparently based on the confused writings of a British historian of botany,<ref name=Mabberley1999/> although ''R.&nbsp;horsfieldii'', for which no specimens were ever collected, only a drawing made which was lost centuries ago, is not considered a valid taxon by ''Rafflesia'' experts.<ref name=Meijer1988>{{cite journal |last1=Meijer |first1=W. |last2=Veldkamp |first2=J. F. |date=1988 |title=A revision of ''Rhizanthes'' (Rafflesiaceae) |url=https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/525536/BLUM1988033002005.pdf |journal=Blumea |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=329–342 |issn=2212-1676 |access-date=28 October 2020}}</ref>
*''[[Rafflesia titan]]'' – A synonym of ''R. arnoldii''; it was in fact validly published earlier, being rushed to publication in Singapore in 1820 by a British botanist who feared that the French, who had actually discovered a species before the British, might deny the glory of the [[species description]] to servants of the British Empire.<ref name=Meijer1997/> In order to retain the honour of naming the species to the famous British scientist Robert Brown, the historian of botany mentioned above chose to pretend a 1821 pre-print Brown sent to a colleague was a valid 'effective publication',<ref name=Mabberley1999/> which has been accepted by the relevant British institutions.<ref name=POWO_77089854-1/><ref name=ipni4>{{cite web |title=''Rafflesia arnoldii'' |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/316069-1 |website=[[International Plant Names Index]] |publisher=The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref>

=== Loss of the chloroplast genome ===
Research published in 2014 revealed that one Philippine ''Rafflesia'' species from the island of [[Luzon]], ''R. lagascae'' (a synonym of [[Rafflesia manillana|''R. manillana'']]), may have lost the genome of its [[chloroplast]] and it is speculated that the loss happened due to the parasitic lifestyle of the plant.<ref name=Molina2014/>

== Distribution ==
===Malay Peninsula===
Rafflesia can be found along the area of [[Peninsular Malaysia]] and [[Thailand]] in the [[Malay Peninsula]].<ref name=RafflesiaPerak>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2018/03/324308/dua-lokasi-di-hulu-perak-subur-rafflesia|title=Dua lokasi di Hulu Perak subur Rafflesia|work=Harian Metro|date=25 March 2018|access-date=10 February 2021|language=ms}}</ref><ref name=RafflesiaThai>{{Cite news|url=https://www.203challenges.com/where-to-see-rafflesia-in-thailand-the-biggest-flower-in-the-world/|title=Where to see ''Rafflesia'' in Thailand – the biggest flower in the world|website=203 Challenges|date=30 January 2019 |last1=Angelova |first1=Maria }}</ref>

==== Malaysia ====
In Peninsular Malaysia, the flower can be found in few states, such as [[Kelantan]], [[Pahang]], [[Perak]] and [[Terengganu]]. In Perak, three species of the flower can be found in [[Belum-Temengor|Royal Belum state park]] and [[Gerik]] forest reserve of which are ''Rafflesia kerrii'', ''Rafflesia cantleyi'' and ''Rafflesia azlanii''. ''Rafflesia azlanii'' was named after the [[Sultan of Perak]], [[Azlan Shah of Perak|Sultan Azlan Shah]].<ref name=RafflesiaPerak/> Meanwhile, two species of the flower hosted by ''[[Tetrastigma|Tetrastigma Planch]]'' can be found in three location in Kelantan. The ''Rafflesia cantleyi'' species can be found in Ulut Sat and Chabang Tongkat while ''Rafflesia kerrii'' can be found in Lojing.<ref name=RafflesiaKelantan>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2021/02/670885/tiga-lokasi-bunga-pakma-di-kelantan-metrotv|title=Tiga lokasi bunga Pakma di Kelantan [METROTV]|work=Harian Metro|date=3 February 2021|access-date=10 February 2021|language=ms}}</ref> Furthermore, two locations in Pahang where this flower can be found are Lembah Benum forest reserve and Lata Jarum.<ref name=RafflesiaPahangBenum>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2020/12/658157/bunga-rafflesia-antara-4-produk-baharu-pelancongan-di-lembah-benum|title=Bunga rafflesia antara 4 produk baharu pelancongan di Lembah Benum|work=Harian Metro|date=29 December 2020|access-date=10 February 2021|language=ms}}</ref><ref name=RafflesiaPahangLJ>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/66166/EDISI/Pahang/Tarikan-bunga-gergasi-di-Lata-Jarum|title=Tarikan bunga gergasi di Lata Jarum|work=Harian Metro|date=16 January 2020|access-date=10 February 2021|language=ms}}</ref> For Terengganu, the flower of ''Rafflesia Cantleyi'' species can be found in Kuala Berang. A flower has been found in this area hanging on the root of its host three metres above the ground, unlike the common flowers found on the ground roots.<ref name=HangingRafflesia>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2018/02/314912/rafflesia-juga-ditemui-tergantung|title=Rafflesia juga ditemui tergantung |work=Harian Metro|date=21 February 2018|access-date=10 February 2021|language=ms}}</ref>

The locations of these flowers are turned into tourist attractions for biodiversity lovers and hikers and helps to generate income for the local people.<ref name=RafflesiaKelantan/><ref name=RafflesiaPahangBenum/><ref name=RafflesiaPahangLJ/><ref name=HangingRafflesia/>

==== Thailand ====
In Thailand ''Rafflesia'' can be observed in [[Khao Sok National Park]] where the flowers are numbered and monitored by the park rangers.<ref name=RafflesiaThai/>

=== Greater Sunda Islands ===
Species native to [[Borneo]] include ''[[Rafflesia arnoldii]]'', ''[[Rafflesia cantleyi|R. cantleyi]]'', ''[[Rafflesia hasseltii|R. hasseltii]]'', ''[[Rafflesia keithii|R. keithii]]'', ''[[Rafflesia kerrii|R. kerrii]]'', [[Rafflesia pricei|''R. pricei'']], ''[[Rafflesia tengku-adlinii|R. tengku-adlinii]]'' and ''[[Rafflesia tuan-mudae|R. tuan-mudae]]''. ''R. arnoldii'' boasts the world's largest single bloom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rafflesiaflower.com/Rafflesia-Facts.html|title=''Rafflesia'' Facts - ''Rafflesia'', The World's Largest Bloom|location=RafflesiaFlower.com|access-date=14 September 2016}}</ref>

''R. keithii'' is an [[endemism|endemic species]] in [[Sabah]] and the largest among the three species of Rafflesia found in Sabah. The flower size is between 60&nbsp;cm to 80&nbsp;cm. Due to its size, the flower is generally found on the forest floor growing on the underground stem or root of ''Tetrastigma lanceolarium''. ''R. keithii'' can be mostly found around the area of [[Poring]], Sabah.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peters |first1=Robert Francis|last2=Ting |first2= Yap Yih|date=2016 |title=Protection of Rafflesia through the Appreciation of the Dusun's Indigenous Knowledge; A Preliminary Case Study at Poring-Sabah|url=https://www.ums.edu.my/ibtpv2/files/03-JTBC13-030-916.pdf|journal=Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation |volume=13|issue= |pages=27–42|doi= |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Emmons |first1=Louise H.|last2=Nias |first2=Jamili|first3=Alim|last3=Briun|date=1991|title=The Fruit and Consumers of Rafflesia keithii (Rafflesiaceae)|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2388307|journal=Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation|volume=23|issue=2 |pages=197–199|doi= 10.2307/2388307|jstor=2388307|bibcode=1991Biotr..23..197E |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref>

=== Mindanao species ===
The Mindanao species is known as ''[[Rafflesia schadenbergiana]]'', after the naturalist [[Alexander Schadenberg]], who first discovered the species at the foothills of [[Mount Apo]] in 1882. With a flower of nearly a meter, it is close to the size of a seated child. On Mindanao, the species has been seen in Davao del Sur, South Cotabato and [[Mount Kitanglad]] in [[Bukidnon]].<ref>Barcelona, J.F., P.B. Pelser, A.M. Tagtag, R.G. Dahonog & A.P. Lilangan. 2008. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247158913 The rediscovery of ''Rafflesia schadenbergiana'' Göpp. ex Hieron. (Rafflesiaceae)]. Flora Malesiana Bulletin 14: 162-165.</ref> ''[[Rafflesia mira|R. mira]]'' and ''R. magnifica'' are two names for a single species. Both were discovered at [[Mount Candalaga]] in [[Maragusan, Compostela Valley]]. The two forms differ in size measurements in which the scientific description of ''R. magnifica'' came from measurements of flowers in full bloom while that of ''R. mira'' was from photographs of nearly dead samples. The medium-sized ''R. mira'' flowers measure about half a meter in diameter and they have round or elliptic perigone wart.<ref name=medulid>Madulid, D.A.; Tandang, D.N. & Agoo, E.M.G. (2008). "''[https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/133709/3873727 Rafflesia magnifica]''". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 22 November 2013.</ref> The third species on Mindanao is the ''R. mixta'' which has only been found so far in the town of [[Mainit, Surigao del Norte]]. It shows a combination of three features of Philippine ''Rafflesia'', namely: the shape and size of the conical process in ''R. schadenbergiana'', the floral size and sparsely distributed perigone warts of ''[[Rafflesia speciosa|R. speciosa]]'', and the overall resemblance, floral size, faint scent, diaphragm and ramenta morphology of ''R. mira''.<ref>M.E. Manting, R.B. Arbolonio, R.B. Caballero & P.B. Pelser. 2014. [https://www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/content/2014/f/p00174p278f.pdf ''Rafflesia mixta'' (Rafflesiaceae), a new species from Surigao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines]</ref> A fourth species is ''[[Rafflesia verrucosa]]'' which is found only in [[Mount Kampalili]] in [[Davao Oriental]] Province.<ref>Balete, D.S., P.B. Pelser, D.L. Nickrent & J.F. Barcelona. 2010. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228482131 ''Rafflesia verrucosa'' (Rafflesiaceae), a new species of small-flowered ''Rafflesia'' from eastern Mindanao, Philippines.] Phytotaxa 10: 49-57.</ref>

== Ecology ==
[[File:Rafflesia arnoldii cycle.jpg|thumb|''Rafflesia arnoldii'' life cycle.]]
Species of ''Rafflesia'' are all thought to be [[holoparasite]]s of [[liana]]s of the genus ''[[Tetrastigma]]'', vines which belong to the [[Vitaceae]], the family of the grape vines. They are thus, in a way, [[hyperparasite]]s, because ''Tetrastigma'' are themselves, in a way, structural parasites of the trees they use to climb up to the light. ''Rafflesia'' appear to be species-specific, with each ''Rafflesia'' species naturally only growing on one to three species of ''Tetrastigma''. Of the 57 known species of ''Tetrastigma'', only ten are known to be [[host plant]]s. Of the 30 odd species of ''Rafflesia'', the host plants are only known from about half of the species. A certain species of ''Tetrastigma'' is very popular among ''Rafflesia'': ''[[Tetrastigma tuberculatum|T. tuberculatum]]'' is a host plant for at least 15 species, and only two Philippine species are not known to infect it. ''[[Tetrastigma papillosum|T. papillosum]]'' and ''[[Tetrastigma diepenhorstii|T. diepenhorstii]]'' both host at least two species. The flowers may bud from different locations; ''R. cantleyi'' flowers from the vine some two meters from the ground,
<ref name=Susatya2011>{{cite book |last=Susatya |first=Agus |date=October 2011 |title=Rafflesia Pesona Bunga Terbesar di Dunia |url=http://ksdae.menlhk.go.id/assets/publikasi/Rafflesia%20-%20Pesona%20Bunga%20Terbesar%20di%20Dunia.pdf |language=id |location=Jakarta |publisher=Direktorat Kawasan Konservasi dan Bina Hutan Lindung |pages=67–69, 83–84, 86 |isbn=978-602-19319-0-5}}</ref> whereas ''R. zollingeriana'' always buds out of the roots and appears out of the ground.<ref name=Maezulpah2019>{{cite journal |last1=Maezulpah |first1=N. |last2=Briliawan |first2=B. D. |last3=Fairuz |first3=R. |last4=Iman |first4=D. T. |last5=Pratama |first5=M. |last6=Ahsania |first6=D. A. |author7=Nurhayati |last8=Saidah |first8=I. |last9=Nurhaeni |first9=W. |last10=Hidayati |first10=S. N. |last11=Khoirunnisa |first11=E. |last12=Tyas |first12=A. |last13=Hikmat |first13=Agus |date=2019 |title=Population structure and conservation strategy of ''Rafflesia zollingeriana'' Koord. in Bandealit Resort, Meru Betiri National Park |journal=IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science |volume=394 |issue=1 |page=012008 |doi=10.1088/1755-1315/394/1/012008 |bibcode=2019E&ES..394a2008M |s2cid=214086640 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The gender ratio may be skewed. In ''R. lobata'' there are approximately nine male flowers for every female flower.<ref name=Lestari2014>{{cite journal |last1=Lestari |first1=Dewi |last2=Hikmat |first2=Agus |last3=Zuhud |first3=Ervizal Amir Muhammad |date=April 2014 |title=Conservation Strategy of ''Rafflesia zollingeriana'' Koord in Meru Betiri National Park, East Java |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272848357 |journal=Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika (Journal of Tropical Forest Management) |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=9 |doi=10.7226/jtfm.20.1.9 |issn=2087-0469 |access-date=8 November 2020|doi-access=free }}</ref> Rarely are there flowers of both sexes at one location to ensure [[pollination]] and thus sexual reproduction. This may not matter: female flowers usually form fruit anyway and may thus be [[agamospermous]].<ref name=Susatya2011/> Flowering is relatively constant, and sites may continue to flower for decades.<ref name=Damayanti2014>{{cite conference |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267395074 |title=Conservation of ''Rafflesia zollingeriana'': Integrating conservation policy with local livelihood |last1=Damayanti |first1=Ellyn K. |last2=Zuhud |first2=Ervizal A. M. |last3=Hikmat |first3=Agus |last4=Lestari |first4=Dewi |last5=Syarief |first5=N. R. |date=9 October 2014 |conference=XXIV IUFRO World Congress "Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: The Role of Research", 5–11 October 2014, Salt Lake City, USA |editor=J. A. Parrotta |editor2=C. F. Moser |editor3=A. J. Scherzer |editor4=N. E. Koerth |editor5=D. R. Lederle |volume=16 |issue=5 |book-title=International Forestry Review - Abstracts for XXIV IUFRO World Congress |pages=49–75 |doi=10.13140/2.1.2631.6801 |access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref><ref name=Barcelona>{{cite journal |author1 = Barcelona, J.F. |author-link1 = Julie F. Barcelona |author2=P.B Pelser |author3=D.S. Balete |author4=L.L. Co |title=Taxonomy, ecology, and conservation status of Philippine ''Rafflesia'' (Rafflesiaceae) |journal=Blumea |volume=54 |date=October 2009 |doi=10.3767/000651909X474122 |pages=77–94 |url = http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/record/524740 }}</ref>

In ''Rafflesia arnoldii'' the flowers are visited by the flies ''[[Drosophila colorata]]'', ''[[Chrysomya megacephala]]'' and ''[[Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis]]''. Black ants of the genus ''[[Euprenolepis]]'' may feed on the developing flower buds, perhaps killing them.<ref name=Pranata2019>{{cite journal |last=Pranata |first=Syafroni |author2=Sulistijorini |last3=Chikmawati |first3=Tatik |date=September 2019 |title=Ecology of ''Rafflesia arnoldii'' (Rafflesiaceae) in Pandam Gadang, West Sumatra |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338750575 |journal=Journal of Tropical Life Science |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=243–251 |doi=10.11594/jtls.09.03.05 |s2cid=242647106 |access-date=30 October 2020|doi-access=free }}</ref> Mammals which are known to eat the flowers are the Javan treeshrew ''[[Tupaia javanica]]'' and the porcupine ''[[Hystrix javanica]]''. Mammals which have been recorded destroying the buds or flowers, often simply by stepping on and crushing them, are: pigs (''[[Sus scrofa]]''), wild cats (''[[Leopard cat|Prionailurus bengalensis]]''), rusa (''[[Cervus timorensis]]''), muntjak (''[[Muntiacus muntjak]]'') and banteng (''[[Bos javanicus]]'').<ref name=Susatya2011/>

==Uses==
In Thailand the buds and flowers of ''R. kerrii'' 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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rafflesia of the world|author=Jamili Nais|isbn=978-983-812-042-5|year=2001|publisher=Sabah Parks|location=Kota Kinabalu |oclc=50043098}}</ref> In the Philippines the plants are also used in folk herbalism, but the flowers are also fed to swine as [[fodder]].<ref name=Barcelona/> On Java the buds of ''R. zollingeriana'' are harvested and dried for use in ''[[jamu]]'', the ancient traditional herbalism of the island. It is unknown for what the buds are supposed to be good for;<ref name=Damayanti2014/> ''jamu'' concoctions are often complex mixtures and often are supposed to help with sexual prowess.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

These plants also have some economic use in attracting [[ecotourist]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepages.wmich.edu/~tbarkman/rafflesia/Rafflesia.html |title=''Rafflesia'' |last=Barkman |first=Todd J. |date=2000 |website=Barkman's homepage |publisher=[[Western Michigan University]] |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref><!--note: much in this homepage is inaccurate. Watch out with using it.-->

Research in Malaysia and Indonesia has made it possible to propagate the species for use in horticulture, with the famous [[Bogor Botanical Garden]] growing the first plants in the 1850s using grafts of infected vines. The Malaysian biologist [[Jamili Nais]] was the first to propagate the plants using the seeds around the year 2000.<ref name=Susatya2011/>

==See also==
*''[[Amorphophallus titanum]]'', a similar smelling plant, sometimes known as the "corpse flower"
*[[Parasitic plant]]
*[[Carrion flower]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|last1=Sofiyanti|first1=Nery|last2=Yen|first2=Choong|title=Morphology of Ovule, Seed, and Pollen Grain of ''Rafflesia'' R. Br. (Rafflesiaceae)|journal=Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy|date=December 2012|volume=19|issue=2|pages=109–117|doi=10.3329/bjpt.v19i2.13124|doi-access=free}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.rafflesiaflower.com Rafflesia flower and threats]
*[https://parasiticplants.siu.edu/Rafflesiaceae/RafflesiaGallery.html Parasitic Plant Connection: ''Rafflesia'' Gallery]
*ARKive: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060211114414/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/plants_and_algae/Rafflesia_spp/ images and movies of the rafflesia ''(Rafflesia spp)'']

{{Taxonbar|from=Q158622}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rafflesia| ]]
[[Category:Parasitic plants]]
[[Category:Malpighiales genera]]
[[Category:Dioecious plants]]
[[Category:Flora of the Indomalayan realm]]