Largest flower ever recorded

Aug 18, 2024 10:00 PM

Boxzsak

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia_arnoldii

This one was grown at the University of Bonn in 2013

That plant smells like rotting corpses

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Paige, no!

2 years ago | Likes 27 Dislikes 3

2 years ago | Likes 105 Dislikes 0

2 years ago | Likes 40 Dislikes 1

The titan arum, AKA the corpse flower. It's called that because it's pollinated by flies rather than bees.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

And attracts them by smelling like rotting meat.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

for when you want to smell what it's like to stand next to a mound of rotting corpses

2 years ago | Likes 79 Dislikes 0

I saw one of the two that bloomed this year at Kew Gardens in London, and it wasn't so bad. Didn't smell great if you put your nose in it, but hardly anything otherwise. I was expecting far worse.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Technically no. It's the largest inflorescence. The flowers are inside it and are not really that spectacular individually.

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Ah yes, the corpse flower. It predates the existence of bees, so it smells like rotting meat in order to attract flies as pollinators.

2 years ago | Likes 30 Dislikes 0

Thank you! @OP buried the lead on this one.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I have a bigger one at home

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

"My children see with eyes beyond this mortal flesh" ahh

2 years ago | Likes 101 Dislikes 0

I laughed so loud i startled the cats

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

"Where we're going, we don't need eyes to see"

2 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

My wife's tulips are pretty big

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I saw it at the Bonn botanic gardens some time in the 90s. So, the time before the time before this bloom depicted here?

2 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

I saw it in Bonn around 2007 - 2009. Might still have frame grabs from their webcam from when I went in a backup somewhere.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Just wait til that thing flowers yikes... walking dead anyone

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I thought I was the only one

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I don't know why, but big flowers like that scares me. Maybe because i read comics about big meat-eating plants when I was little. Naah, that ain't it. Must be something else.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I saw bigger ones in Avatar

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Just experienced a corpse flower a few weeks ago. Not nearly as tall as this one.

2 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

and how was the smell

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It was disgusting. The air tasted as bad as it smelled. I'm glad I had the experience.

2 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Thank you for the insight.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I bet that smells amazing

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

"That's not a flower...THIS is a flower." - Horticulturalist Dundee.

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

That's not Rafflesia, its Amorphophallus titanum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphophallus_titanum

2 years ago | Likes 41 Dislikes 0

I saw this and instantly thought to myself " that's a corpse flower". Glad to see my time in those botanical gardens weren't a waste!

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The distinction is that the Rafflesia is the largest single flower, while the Amorphophallus Titanum (Greek for giant shapeless penis by the way) is the world's largest unbranched inflorescence. The world's largest branched inflorescence is the talipot palm.

2 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

Thanks, I was looking for this comment! Upvote for awareness! You linked the wrong page @op

2 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

The plant in the photo is an Amorphophallus titanum, the world's largest inflorescence (multiple flowers on the fruiting structure). Rafflesia is the largest single flower and looks more like the Mario Brother's flowers.

Both species are from Borneo, which is being burnt down for cheap palm oil.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Not a Rafflesia. They are parasitic plants and dont grow on pots. @op

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Triffid. Hence the lack of eyes

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

University of Wisconsin Madison? She bloomed when an attended a million years ago.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Look at the stamen on that lad! guyshesaysnottoworryabout.jpg

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Did... did he feed his eyes to it?

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I don’t even want to imagine the bee that’s gonna pollinate it.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Bees aren't involved, actually. The flower heats itself up and smells like rotting flesh in order to attract flies and carrion beetles to pollinate it instead. Isn't nature fun?

2 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

that guy has no eyes

2 years ago | Likes 391 Dislikes 0

Marty McFly damaged this guy's timline, too

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

v

2 years ago | Likes 118 Dislikes 0

Perfect

2 years ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 0

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

What would he be if he was a woodland creature? No eye deer.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Just one more step backwards...

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

The flower ate them

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

2 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Miraluka.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

2 years ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 2

2 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Ai trying to reconstruct from this total obfuscation? This isn't the original still, it's been cropped, but higher res

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I just realized that this likely got posted twice? the person didn't want to share the face, but then realized the tattoos were also recognizable, and tried to remove them, hence the arms looking shopped... I'm more interested in this bizarre chain of events now than the giant flower lol

2 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

His arms are also shopped.

2 years ago | Likes 35 Dislikes 0

My arms are too long.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

There were probably tattoos that could identify him. (Eyes are removed for the same reason I think)

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

My exact same thoughts. They're also on his legs, but less visible.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0