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NATURE & GASTRONOMY

 

 

 

  Rafflesia

 

Thailand

The Rafflesia, a parasitic flower that can grow to a diameter of up to a meter and often referred to as the world's biggest single flower,  is named after Sir Stamford Raffles (fig.), the founder of Singapore, who introduced it to the West in the beginning of the 19th century.

 

These ones were blooming in Khao Sok National Park in February 2020, yet their flower buds first emerged around the end of 2019 after which they slowly swelled to the size of footballs (fig.) before becoming these reddish flowers, also named carrion flowers for their typical smell of rotting carrion, which attracts flies that pollinate it.

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