Visit the following video on YouTube for more information: The rafflesia uses small filaments to extract the nutrients and water from the host vine. If the flower is fertilized, fruit is produced.īecause the rafflesia does not have a chloroplast genome (lacks chlorophyll), it is incapable of photosynthesis. Instead, the tetrastigma vine that hosts the flower provides its nutrients and food. The rafflesia buds open usually on rainy nights, and the whole process takes about 24-48 hours. The buds develop for 9-12 months, and cannot be seen during the first stages. Once the plant matures, it produces buds (small bumps on vine). They must then find a female flower and bring the pollen to continue the process of pollination. As they enter the flower, they collect pollen. The flies are attracted to the rotten smell the plant produces, in hopes of finding food. Firstly, the plant is unisexual, so the flower relies on its pollinators (carrion flies) for pollination. The foul stench it produces is an example of its unique adaptations to reproduce.Īll species of rafflesia have a different reproduction process than most plants. The fly collects the pollen from the male flower to a female flower to continue the pollination process. The rafflesia produces the stench of rotting flesh to attract carrion flies for the pollination process. This unique flowering plant is quite different than any other plant we are used to, in both appearance and evolution.
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