A foul-smelling flower, known as the Giant Padma, which is recognized as the largest flower in the world, has bloomed for the first time outside its natural habitat.
The Giant Padma flower blooming in the Bogor Botanical Gardens, Jakarta, Indonesia. (Source: Detik).
On September 17, the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency announced that a Giant Padma flower had bloomed in the Bogor Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of Jakarta.
This achievement is the result of centuries of efforts to conserve species outside their natural environment.
The flower, with a diameter of 60 cm, bloomed on September 12. Its diameter can reach up to 150 cm. The blooming of one of the flower buds marks 16 years of dedicated care by senior researcher Sofi Mursidawati.
The Giant Padma, scientifically known as Rafflesia arnoldii, is also referred to as the corpse flower due to its foul odor when it blooms. This flower was discovered in 1818 by British professor Joseph Arnold in the dense forests of Bengkulu province on the island of Sumatra.
He was part of an expedition led by the explorer Stamford Raffles. The scientific name of this flower is a combination of the names of these two individuals.
