Rafflesia arnoldi Flower, Largest Flower in the World

Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth. It has a very strong and horrible odor of decaying flesh, earning it the nickname "corpse flower". It is endemic to the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the titan arum and talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera), those are technically clusters of many flowers. Rafflesia arnoldii is one of the three national flowers in Indonesia, the other two being the white jasmine and moon orchid. It was officially recognized as a national "rare flower" in Presidential Decree No. 4 in 1993. The generic name, Rafflesia (given in honour of Sir Raffles), proposed by Brown (who had originally wanted to call it Arnoldii) after Joseph Arnold, was validated by S.F. Gray in his report of the June 1820 meeting of the Linnean Society of London, as published in the Annals of Philosophy in September that year. The species Rafflesia arnoldii was officially described for the first time in 1821 by Brown, so that Arnold was commemorated after all.

Roses

One of the best qualities of roses is that they come in such a wide variety of different possible colors. Every color is fragrant and beautiful in its own right and it is no wonder that the rose has arguably become the symbol of the floral industry as a whole. There’s just something captivating and timeless about the rose. However, before you run out and buy a bouquet of roses for that special someone, stop and read the following article about what the various colors of roses represent. After all, a rose by any other name may still be as sweet, but chances are you also want to make sure that the message you are sending is equally sweet and suitable.