Take a walk in the rainforest of Thailand’s Khao Sok National Park with Maddie Moate and Greg Foot. They’re on the lookout for Rafflesia kerrii, one of the world’s largest, smelliest flowers.
It’s also a rare flower. One of 28 species of vulnerable and endangered Rafflesia plants, the bloom takes nine months to mature and lasts for only a few days. To pollinate in that short time, the parasitic plant uses its meat-red petals and rotten smell to attract carrion flies, much like Titan arum.
The Rafflesia arnoldii, called the corpse lily, is said to be the largest flower in the world. Alain Compost filmed one in Sumatra’s Bukit Barisan National Park. Watch it open in time lapse over 27 hours:
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