The endangered beauty of the rare Rafflesia plant

By Joko Sarwono

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Parasites can have a devastating effect on plant life, but certain types can also play a beneficial role.

The Rafflesia plant is a parasite that is entirely dependent on the plant it clings to (usually creeper plants of the Tetrastigma type) because it has no chlorophyll like other plants. It does not have stems and leaves and its body consists only of a network of threads infiltrating the plant it parasitizes. To take food from the mother plant, it uses a kind of suction root or haustorium.

There are 17 types of Rafflesia, seven of which have not been seen in the past five decades. The other 10 are rare because they can only live in their original environment in the tropical rain forests west of Wallace's line -- between Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

The flowers of the Rafflesia family are one of the great wonders of the botanical world for their beauty, unique life span and large diameter. Although Rafflesia may live for as long as five years, its flowers only bloom for four to seven days. It is during this time that the Rafflesia reveals its beautiful flowers, which can have a diameter of between 20 cm and more than one meter.

The flower was named after British governor general Sir Stamford Raffles, who, along with his personal doctor Arnold, discovered the flower of the Arnoldi type at Pulo Lebar near the Manna river in Bengkulu in 1818.

Actually, he was not the discoverer of the Rafflesia family of plants. One type of Rafflesia (not the Rafflesia Arnoldi) had been found previously and is shown in a painting by Deschamps, the French botanist who first explored and collected plants in Java. Deschamps made the painting in 1797 based on his own collection.

The Rafflesia belongs to the rare species of flowers. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 1978 categorized the Rafflesia as "vulnerable, endangered and interminate".

"Vulnerable" means it is not immediately threatened with extinction, but it needs protection because it is found in small quantities and its exploitation goes on unabated. "Endangered" means the type is threatened with extinction and its conservation cannot be maintained without strict protection. "Interminate" means it is clearly in the process of extinction but the information collected is inadequate.

Until now the mystery shrouding the life and uses of many types of Rafflesia has not been revealed, though the use of the Rafflesia as a medicine has been known for a long time by people in the areas surrounding the places where the flower is found. In Java and Kalimantan, the bud of the Rafflesia serves as a raw material for herbal medicine. Rafflesia patma buds are collected and dried for medicine, especially for women.

In Java, this herbal medicine is known by the name patmosari. In Sumatra, the Sakai ethnic group uses it as a medicine to help women in labor. The medicine's effectiveness is recognized by the expert Blume, who says that the Rafflesia has properties to help keep the menstrual cycle normal and to stop excessive bleeding.

The Rafflesia Arnoldi, known as giant Rafflesia, is tremendously beautiful when in full bloom. People, mainly foreign tourists, come in great numbers to witness the rare occasion, though many worry that so many visitors could destroy the natural habitat and microecosystem of the flowers.

Furthermore, when people collect Rafflesia buds, they often strip them bare, ignoring local conservation rules. The result is that several locations which used to have Rafflesia plants are now practically devoid of them.

It is a challenge for Rafflesia experts to transfer the flowers from their original habitat to a location, such as the Botanical Garden in Bogor, where they can survive and be visited by tourists. Successful efforts would allow people to enjoy their beauty without damaging their natural habitats.

The writer is a graduate from Bogor Agricultural University's department of pests and plant diseases.