Rafflesia kerrii
Encyclopedia
Rafflesia kerrii is a member of the genus Rafflesia
. It is found in the rainforest of southern Thailand
and peninsular Malaysia, with the most famous population in the Khao Sok National Park. The local Thai
names are Bua Phut (บัวผุด) and Bua Tum (บัวตูม).
The red flowers have a diameter of 50–90 cm and smell awfully of rotten meat to attract flies for pollination. The plant is a parasite to the wild grapes of the genus Tetrastigma
(T. leucostaphylum, T. papillosum and T. quadrangulum). , but only the flowers are visible. Small buds appear along the trunk and roots of the host, which after 9 months open the giant flowers. After just one week the flower dies. The species seems to be flowering seasonally, as flowers are only reported during the dry season, from January to March, and more rarely till July.
The flower is endangered. Though already naturally rare, tourists trying to get close to the flower for photos easily trample the host plant or young buds. Also the locals collect both buds and flowers both as a delicacy as well as for its claimed medical powers. A concoction of cooked buds or flowers is used as a general tonic, to help for fever or backache or even as a sexual stimulant. However western medicine doesn't recognize any medical power of the flower.
The flower is the symbol flower of Surat Thani Province
, which is the location of the Khao Sok NP.
(1877–1942), the first botanist to collect plants extensively in Thailand. It was Kerr who first collected a specimen of this species in 1927, and further three till 1929. The specimen later used as the type specimen was collected on February 3, 1929 at Khao Pho Ta Luang Kaeo near Ranong
. It was scientifically collected several times afterwards, believed to be R. patma
. In 1984 Willem Meijer
described it as a separate species.
Rafflesia
Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It contains approximately 28 species , all found in southeastern Asia, on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand and the Philippines.Rafflesia was found in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr...
. It is found in the rainforest of southern Thailand
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand, connected with the Central region by the narrow Kra Isthmus.-Geography:Southern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula, with an area around 70,713 km², bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus as the narrowest part of the peninsula. The...
and peninsular Malaysia, with the most famous population in the Khao Sok National Park. The local Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
names are Bua Phut (บัวผุด) and Bua Tum (บัวตูม).
Tetrastigma
Tetrastigma is a genus of plants in the grape family, Vitaceae. The plants are vines that climb with tendrils and have palmately compound leaves. The species are found in subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, Malesia, and Australia, where they grow in primary rainforest, gallery forest and...
(T. leucostaphylum, T. papillosum and T. quadrangulum). , but only the flowers are visible. Small buds appear along the trunk and roots of the host, which after 9 months open the giant flowers. After just one week the flower dies. The species seems to be flowering seasonally, as flowers are only reported during the dry season, from January to March, and more rarely till July.
The flower is endangered. Though already naturally rare, tourists trying to get close to the flower for photos easily trample the host plant or young buds. Also the locals collect both buds and flowers both as a delicacy as well as for its claimed medical powers. A concoction of cooked buds or flowers is used as a general tonic, to help for fever or backache or even as a sexual stimulant. However western medicine doesn't recognize any medical power of the flower.
The flower is the symbol flower of Surat Thani Province
Surat Thani Province
Surat Thani is the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
, which is the location of the Khao Sok NP.
Discovery
The species is named after the Irish botanist A.F.G. KerrArthur Francis George Kerr
Arthur Francis George Kerr was an Irish medical doctor. He is known particularly now for his botanical work, which was important for the study of the flora of Thailand....
(1877–1942), the first botanist to collect plants extensively in Thailand. It was Kerr who first collected a specimen of this species in 1927, and further three till 1929. The specimen later used as the type specimen was collected on February 3, 1929 at Khao Pho Ta Luang Kaeo near Ranong
Ranong
Ranong ) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong district. The town covers completely the area of the tambon Khao Niwet . As of 2005 it has a population of 16,163, and has town status .The town is located at the estuary of the Pak Chan River, opposite...
. It was scientifically collected several times afterwards, believed to be R. patma
Rafflesia patma
Rafflesia patma is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It was first collected from the Indonesian island of Kembangan, located off the Indian Ocean coast of Java....
. In 1984 Willem Meijer
Willem Meijer
Willem 'Wim' Meijer was a Dutch botanist and plant collector.-Background and education:Meijer was born in 1923 in The Hague, Netherlands. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam in 1951...
described it as a separate species.