My husband has asked me to put these up here: pix from a recent trip to Cameron Highlands of Rafflesia cantleyi, bud and flowers and the host vine. (The flowers are parasitic, and leafless.)
The thing that really impresses me about these things is how the fertilised seed ever finds the right host vine in the rainforest. Needles in a haystack would be a cinch by comparison.
What a fascinating flower, reminds me of the Bromeliads of South America. Huge thing isn’t it? Do you know much about it?
Is it just me or is that thing creepy?
Lol, Karen. It stinks, too. And it does look kinda hungry…
Uh huh. Yeah. And creepy! Ewwww ….
That is about the most unique picture I have seen of a rafflesia…so high up the tree. All previous pics showed them on the ground, or just a couple of feet above it.
Incredible…