Rafflesia Arnoldii 

The Rafflesia Arnoldii is the largest flower in the world, which can measure up to  three feet across and weigh up to 7 kilograms. Several species of Rafflesia grow in the jungles of Southeast Asia, all of them threatened or endangered. It is one of the world’s most unbelievable organisms. The Arnoldii does not have leaves, stems or roots but it lives as a parasitic plant (meaning it gets it nutrients and water from another plant, known as the host) on the tetrastigma vine, which will only grow in an undisturbed rainforest. Only the bud and the flower can be seen of the Rafflesia Arnoldii the rest of the plant is buried into the host plant. It is quite hard to see the plant in bloom because the buds take several months to develop and when this happens it only lasts a few days. Flies pollinate the flower, as they are attracted to its bad odour. Each flower produces only seed and the only way for it to germinate is by successfully getting itself in the tissue of a particular Cissus vine, known as the Tetrastigma. The flower gets food out of the vine by extending fine threads into it's tissue. It is difficult to locate the Rafflesia Arnoldii because it is a rare type of plant. It has also been known as the "giant panda of the plant world" because the Rafflesia Arnoldii is endangered, it only grows in rain forests of Sumatra and borneo.