''Aristolochia gorgona'' is a recently discovered (2002) flowering plant in the Dutchman's pipe family (

Aristolochiaceae The Aristolochiaceae () are a family, the birthwort family, of flowering plants with seven genera and about 400 known species belonging to the order Piperales. The type genus is ''Aristolochia'' L. Description They are mostly perennial, herb ...

) (of the

Eudicot The eudicots, Eudicotidae, or eudicotyledons are a clade of flowering plants mainly characterized by having two seed leaves upon germination. The term derives from Dicotyledons. Traditionally they were called tricolpates or non-magnoliid dicot ...

super-order or subclass) found in the Atlantic-facing

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. It differs from ''

Aristolochia grandiflora ''Aristolochia grandiflora'', the pelican flower, is a deciduous vine with one of the world's largest flowers that emits an odor that smells like rotting feet, attracting flies. Description ''Aristolochia grandiflora'' produces large solitary f ...

'' in lacking the sometimes very long "tail" that hangs down from the trumpet of ''A. grandiflora'', in being darker (sometimes even purple) and in being covered with inch-long (2.5 cm) tendril-like enations which have suggested a comparison to Medusa and her sisters. With a trumpet (usually regarded as a greatly expanded

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

) up to 12.5 inches (31 cm) top to bottom, twelve inches (30 cm) wide and about 15 inches (38 cm) deep A. gorgona is one of the largest flowers in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

.Mario A. Blanco, "Aristolochia gorgona (Aristolochiaceae) A New Species with Giant Flowers...etc." BRITTONIA Vol. 54 # 1 (2002) pp. 30 -39. Its discoverer, Blanco thought its very late discovery might be due to its similarity to ''A. grandiflora''. This resemblance must be that of the foliage, for as we have seen the flowers are very different.

References

gorgona Plants described in 2002 {{Piperales-stub