62 



Marvels of the Universe 



THE LARGEST FLOWER IN THE WORLD 



BY EDWARD STEP, F.L.S. 



There are many plants whose flowers are so minute and inconspicuously coloured that one maj' 

 pardon those who are not botanists for not knowing of their existence ; but when we come , to 

 consider a ilower that measures a full yard across it is rather astonishing to learn that it remained 

 entirely unknown until the nineteenth century. 



In the 3'ear i8iS Sir Stamford Raffles, with his wife and Dr. Arnold, were exploring the 

 interior of Sumatra, when, suddenly, at the call of their Malay servants, they came upon 

 a gigantic flower growing on the long twisting roots of some species of fig or vine. There 

 were no leaves, the flower and flower-buds springing direct from these roots. Dr. Arnold, 



who was the first European 

 to set eyes on this floral 

 monster, confesses that, had 

 he been alone, he would 

 have hesitated to send home 

 particulars of the flower's 

 dimensions, from fear that it 

 would be received as one of 

 the old type of traveller's 

 tales. Fortunately for his 

 fears. Sir Stamford and Lady 

 Raffles were within call and 

 witnessed his measurements 

 and particulars. The central 

 portion of the flower contain- 

 ing the stamens and nectary 

 was a foot across, and each 

 petal, which was almost 

 round, measured twelve 

 inches in length. They 

 were not thin and delicate 

 like the petals of most 

 flowers, but fleshy, and a 

 quarter of an inch thick in 

 the thinnest part, increasing 

 to three-quarters of an inch 

 at the thickest portions. 

 The central cavity was computed to have a capacity of a gallon and a half, and the weight of the 

 entire flower was calculated to be about fifteen pounds. The ground colour of the flower is flesh-tint 

 or yellow upon which are heavy mottlings of a dull purple. 



The unopened buds are in form like cabbages. They take about a month to come to full size, 

 and then are open only for a day or two, after which they rapidly decay. Resembling carrion in 

 their general colouring, they also give off a carrion-like odour, which attracts swarms of flies. This 

 is a device for securing the conveyance of pollen from the male to the female flowers. 



Two or three other species of Rafflesia have been discovered since, but none so large as Arnold's 



Photo by] 



[£'. J. WaUis. 



ARNOLD'S RAFFLESIA 



A parasitical flower in the forests of Sumatra. Four buds are also sfiown in various 

 stages of growtfi. breaking forth from the roots on which the plant is a parasite. 



