The cadaverous flower, also called cadaveric lily and rafflesia, got its name because of the exuding smell, more precisely - the stench. The genus itself includes 12 species of "relatives", among which the most famous is the Arnoldi lily (Arnoldii).
The cadaveric flower is not able to synthesize the organic substances he needs, therefore, like a vampire, it draws juices from others. Rafflesia chose a vine of the genus Tetrastigma (grape) as a donor. The seeds of cadaveric lilies, having fallen on the vine, sprout and, letting out suckers-seedlings, literally dig into the host plant.
The cadaveric flower grows slowly: the cortex of the vines, under which the seed develops, swells only after a year and a half, resulting in the formation of a bud that ripens for another nine months (future bud). Then, sitting right on the bare ground, a huge red-brick flower blooms . Rafflesia, reminiscent of decaying meat in color and smell, attracts many flies (they also pollinate it). The ovary develops another seven months. The fruit contains up to 4,000,000 seeds.
The cadaveric flower propagates thanks to the help of large animals (usually elephants), which, crushing the fruit when walking, carry the seeds. However, only a few will sprout and continue such a long cycle.
The world learned about rafflesia thanks to Officer Stamford Ruffles and botanist Joseph Arnold, who discovered it on Fr. Sumatra. When the cadaveric flower bloomed, it was measured and the first description was made, giving a pretty beautiful name, which he bears to this day. By the way, local residents (Indonesians) called it “Bunga Patma”, which means “lotus flower” in their language. Agree, also a beautiful name.
Family ties, like the origin as a whole, remained a mystery for a long time. Leading a parasitic lifestyle, the cadaveric flower has lost its stem, leaves and roots. The ability to photosynthesis was also lost. The plant became lumps and branching strands of cells that penetrate the body of the host plant.
At the disposal of botanists, there were practically no
morphological signs indicating any group of
dicotyledonous plants, which, in theory, belonged to amazing rafflesia. The flower itself was the only organ that survived, but it was so hypertrophied, so specialized (meaning a specific and unique way of pollination) and modified that it was impossible to determine the location of cadaveric lily in the plant world. Only molecular phylogenetics (the nucleotide sequence of DNA) could help here. But here a number of difficulties appeared. It turned out that there is a gene exchange (horizontal) between the cadaveric flower and its host plant, so gene analysis yielded very conflicting results. We decided to focus on the fact that rafflesia belongs to Malpighiales - a huge group of dicotyledons, including many families. However, the taxonomic position of this strange plant haunted American botanists and molecular biologists. They decided to undertake a large-scale study. Long and difficult work led to the conclusion: the Rafflesiae belong to the Euphorbiaceae family. However, the structure itself denied this kinship. Yes, and small euphorbia flowers. The authors of the study agreed: the diameter of the flower grew several tens of times! Just imagine - the weight of cadaveric lilies can reach 75 kg at a height of more than three meters! The uniqueness of the plant has attracted the attention of botanical gardens around the world. Of course, it is rather difficult to create conditions for the growth and reproduction of Amorphophallus (another name), but some botanists still succeed. For example, such a cadaverous flower bloomed in Belgium in the city of Meise. According to employees of the Botanical Garden, its length almost falls short of two and a half meters, and its estimated weight is 50 kg.