Rafflesia: The Stinkiest Parasitic Queen

Rafflesia is like a woman who may not be the type of woman that the society wants, but is a queen of its own. Good afternoon everyone and please bear with me for several minutes as I read my speech.

It is normal for us, human beings, that if we smell bad people tend to get away from us.  Worst, we will be an outcast.

However, among Rafflesia’s, the case is different.

But what is Rafflesias? Rafflesia is a plant that grows in Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Philippines. It is unique because it doesnt have leaves, nor roots, nor stems but only have just like in the picture.  This means they cannot make their own food. But how do they survive…. They are parasites. They suck water and nutrients from a vine called Tetrastigma, which they could not live. However, although they may be queen of free-riders, they are colorful and lovely. One species has flowers reaching 1.5 meters which is the world’s largest so far.

Now, let’s get to know them more. Since the flower is its only distinguishable feature, let us examine the parts. They have warts, the perigone tube, the ramenta, the anther, coronal ring of disk, bracts, disk, column, processes, window, diaphragm and perigone lobe. These parts differ in numbers, sizes and shapes among species.

All flowering plants are pollinated. And who does the job for Rafflesia’s? It’s the carrion flies; those common flies you see on any dead and decomposing remains. And that’s where being stinky becomes an asset. The smellier they get, the more chances they can propagate their kind. Whenever the flower emits their signature-putrid smell-the flies arrive and spread their pollen.

But the flowers bloom only seasonally. Like human pregnancy, it might take nine more months since its last flowering- before a new set of flowers will re-emerge. And each blossom only a week with up to 20% of the flowers dying immediately.

Interestingly, Rafflesia has become a popular media character. In the video game, Final Fantasy XII, Rafflesia is a boss in Feywood. The Rafflesia sucks away the party's main player at a monstrous rate, and can also inflict Sap.  One way to defeat it, is having a character nearby who can cure any infected.  

In One Piece, an anime, a monster Rafflesia sneaks into the boat where it emits a very foul-smell. However, it is killed by men inside the boat.

In the more popular, Pokemon movie, the Character “Vileplume” is actually a poison discharging Rafflesia plant. It can emit fire, ice, can fly and do psychic moves but its strongest weapon is Acid and Solar Beam.  In the movie, the Vileplume's pollen triggers atrocious allergy attacks in humans and is toxic to other Pokemon.

Globally, scientist know of at least 27 species of Rafflesia. In the Philippines, we have eleven species or 41 percent of the world’s Rafflesia diversity. Said in a different way, 4 out of every 10 Rafflesia species you would see is a Filipino Rafflesia. Thus, our country can be branded as a Rafflesia Republic.

Mindanao Island also has a good share of Rafflesia diversity. Did you know that the largest Rafflesia in the Philippines is found in Mindanao? 

It is called Rafflesia schadenbergania, after the naturalist Alexander Shadenberg who first discovered the species at the foothills of Mt Apo in 1882. With a flower of nearly a meter, it is close to the size 7 year old kid when sitted. On Mindanao, the species has been seen in Davao del Sur, South Cotabato and Mt Kitanglad in Bukidnon.

Rafflesia mira

Second, Rafflesia mira and Rafflesia magnifica are two names for a single species. Both were discovered at Mt Candalaga in Maragusan, Compostela Valley.

Rafflesia magnifica

The two forms differ in size measurements in which the scientific description of Magnifica came from measurements of flowers in full bloom while that of Mira was from photographs of nearly dead samples. The medium-sized Mira and Magnifica flowers measure about half a meter and they have round or elliptic perigone wart

The third species on Mindanao is the Rafflesia mixta which is found so far only in the town of Mainit, Surigao del Norte. It shows a combination of three features of Philippine Rafflesia namely (i) the shape and size of the conical process in Rafflesia schadenbergania;(ii) the floral size and sparsely distributed perigone warts of R. speciosa; and the (iii) overall resemblance, floral size, faint scent, diaphragm and ramenta morphology of R. mira

Fourth, is Rafflesia verrucosa which is found only in Mt. Kampalili in Davao Oriental Province.  It is derived from the Latin verruca or wart which exhibits a unique appearance. It is the first small-flowered Rafflesia because it measures only ¼ of the size of other species

However, with each discovery of a new Rafflesia species comes the influx of tourist and tourism facilities. Without a clear conservation plan, the species is threatened.

This should not be the case, and I recommend the following; First, there should be management zoning strategies for protected areas where Rafflesia species are found. Consultations with the local communities and organizations such as the DENR, local governments, Department of Tourism (DOT), the academic communities, and scientists should be done before opening these Rafflesia sites to the public.

 Areas that are close to people should be managed for education and ecotourism purposes while those that are far from human habitation should be preserved and scientifically studied. Second, further research should be done to know the conservation status of the lowland where most species are most likely to found

I do hope that someday Rafflesia will become the happiest flower when people value her as God’s amazing creation worthy of preservation.