People have got used that flowers are beautiful and small bright plants, but at the nature the imagination is richer: among representatives of the kingdom of plants there are huge flowers reaching several meters both in width, and in height. The largest flower in the world the tropical rafflenziya is considered, and has set record on height amorfofallus titanic.
The biggest flower in the world
On southeast islands the huge flower which, however, it is difficult to call beautiful grows in Asia. It is raffleziya – the representative of parasitic plants with unpleasant putrid smell. It is a little similar to any other plant: the flower has neither stalks, nor leaves, nor bodies to whom there could be photosynthesis process. Raffleziya lives in other plants, parasitizing on them, normally it is various tropical lianas. The most part of life it does not prove externally in any way while through gaps in fabrics of liana do not sprout huge flowers.
The adult flower of raffleziya has more than a meter diameter, and several kilograms weigh, separate copies had weight more than ten kilograms. The plant grows slowly, long accumulating nutrients, but the flower blossoms for only several days. The putrid smell which it exudes attracts flies and other insects necessary for pollination.
Raffleziya is sort of plants which is separated into several types. The most impressive sizes the type of raffleziya under the name of Arnoldi who grows on the island of Sumatra has.
The highest flower in the world
Amorfofallus titanic – the highest flower in the world. In the diameter it seldom exceeds one meter, but in height the inflorescence grows to two meters. The flower represents the long yellow ear enveloped by huge listovidny cover of burgundy color. The amorfofallus has many similar lines with raffleziya – first, it is unpleasant putrid smell with impurity of "aromas" of rotten fish or eggs which performs the same function, that is attraction of flies. Secondly, this look too on Sumatra grows though today is on the verge of extinction and generally gets divorced in botanical gardens.
On average growth of amorfofallus seldom exceeds human, but there is registered record – inflorescence 2.74 meters high which has revealed in 2003 in botanical garden in Bonn.
Amorfofallus can brag and the sizes of tuber from which the flower appears – he hides underground and reaches fifty kilograms of weight. Such large tuber is necessary to provide with nutrients huge flower which will live only a few weeks. The plant has life expectancy up to forty years, but blossoms seldom, in artificial conditions the flowers can not appear several decades in a row.