An international team of scientists from Indonesia and the United States has described a brand new species of flowering plant within the genus Rafflesia from the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Rafflesia is a genus of holoparasitic plants without leaves and true roots, for which there are vine species within the genus Tetrasigma function host.
Some Rafflesia species are the most important flowers on this planet – they will grow as much as 39 inches (1 m) in diameter and weigh 10 kg. When blooming, all flowers emit a disgusting smell, just like the smell of rotting meat.
The genus occurs within the western region of the Wallace Line in Southeast Asia: from Thailand to Indonesia and the Philippines. Of the roughly 30 species described, 14 occur in Indonesia.
A newly discovered species called Rafflesia meets youoccurs in several regions of the Indonesian province of Bengkulu.
“Four populations Rafflesia meets you are found in the Palak Siring area and consist of 2-12 flower buds per population,” he said University of Bengkulu researcher Agus Susatya and colleagues.
“According to reports, the species is also found in the Kuro Tidur area, which is also part of the Bukit Daun Conservation Forest, and in the Ipuh Production Forest in Muko-Muko Regency in North Bengkulu.”
Flowers Rafflesia meets you According to the team, it could reach a diameter of 38–44 cm (15–17.3 in).
The species blooms in every month of the 12 months, whatever the season. However, flowering occurs more often from August to November than in the opposite months and infrequently in December.
Based on their observations, Susatya and co-authors recommend listing the species as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
“The Palak Siring area is a famous tourist destination in northern Bengkul,” they explained.
“Out of four known populations Rafflesia meets youone of them is very close to the Palak Siring forest trail and is frequently visited and severely affected by unguided tourists. The locations of the other three populations are more remote and occur in more pristine environments.”
Rafflesia meets you is described in A paper within the diary Phytotaxes.
Source: sci-news.com
