''Rafflesia micropylora'' is a
parasitic plant species of the genus ''
Rafflesia''. It is endemic to
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
in Indonesia.
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)
[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.] 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
External links
Parasitic Plant Connection: ''Rafflesia micropylora'' page
micropylora
Parasitic plants
Endemic flora of Sumatra
{{Malpighiales-stub