Raflesia,the Giant's Forgotten Flower

Apart from the snake plant (Amorphopalus titanum), the rare flower that was quite popular in the Indonesian community was Raflesia, the pretty flower measured the giant. However, the kind raflesia that was known to be wide only Raflesia arnoldii, in fact raflesia the other kind still enough. All of them demanded attention of the community to be on duty at him so that not extinct. Some of Raflesia that was the endemic Javanese kind were Raflesia zollingeriana koorders or Raflesia solinger. Same like the Raflesia kind other, the existence padma one this began to be worrying. His article, the local inhabitants often took this flower bud to be made the remedy. The flower bud padma was believed in could merapatkan the female vagina.

The existence of this flower was the first time known by Koorders that found him in Puger, a coastal region in south East Java, during 1902. However because of the influence of nature, this flower is no longer found in the Puger region. He currently even often is encountered in the Meru Betiri National Park conservation area (TNMB), Banyuwangi, East Java. Was based on the research of Willem Meijer, the Raflesia kind solinger was the same as the kind padma Raflesia patma that his population in West Java. The measurement of the Raflesia flower was classified as amazing. The diameter of the flower could reach 35 cm, compared with the normal flower that only had the diameter 15 cm. The flower that blossomed perfect berdiameter 20-30 cm. It was long that the earlobe perigone 13-14 cm and wide 10-14 cm. Raflesia solinger was red brownish with the whitish nodule. The diaphragm hole around five until seven centimetre. The Raflesia flower be classed as holoparasit. Meaning that, the flower was the only plants organ that could be seen by the human eyes. He had two houses, namely the male and female flower that was gotten to the different individual.

The process of the formation of the flower was preceeded with the swelling in the root of the foster-mother's plants. Further was formed the bud to the surface of this root of the foster-mother's plants. This bud from the diameter several mm afterwards grew continued to this bud measuring big, reached 17 cm. Flower pollination was carried out by the green fly (Lucilia sp. ), the blue fly (Protocalliphora sp. ), the grey fly (Sarcophaga sp. ), the green eyes fly (Tabanus sp. ) and the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). A spread spell of the seed, according to the central data of Biologi Research And Development, Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, the possibility was carried out by land insects, the squirrel, the porcupine, the wild boar or deer.

Generally, Rafflesia zollingeriana lived from foot the hill as far as hill castors above. With the slope of the place grew around 85 percent. The height from 1-270 m. dpl (above sea level), and the distance of the revolving shoreline nine to 1000 metre. However with raging plundering against the flower bud, the existence of this flower began to be worrying. Increased again, until this, the cultivation technique that was exact to maintain his conservation was not yet found. Therefore, legally, this flower was protected by the country was based on PP No. 7 on January 27 1999.