Rafflesia micropylora

Rafflesia micropylora is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It is endemic to Sumatra in Indonesia.

Rafflesia micropylora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Rafflesiaceae
Genus: Rafflesia
Species:
R. micropylora
Binomial name
Rafflesia micropylora

This species was named because of the small opening of its diaphragm or corona. This is one of the giant species of Rafflesia; the largest specimen being one found by ecologist/author Arnold Newman and his son Gandhi at Gunung Leuser, northern Sumatra in 1983, a whole year before publication of the official description. This one measured 38 in (97 cm) in width, and estimated by Newman senior to weigh 36 lbs (16.3 kg)[1] Unlike the bold markings of species like R. arnoldi, R. micropylora is covered with a myriad of tiny markings. The very small aperture of the corona suggests that its pollination strategy may also be quite different.

References
  1. Arnold Newman, "Tropical Rainforest", (New York: Facts on File, 1990) pp. 64-66 plus photo p.65 and an excellent photo on inside back dust cover.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.