SAEDNEWS: World’s Largest Flower “Shokoufeh” Accidentally Discovered, Believed in Eastern Medicine to Aid Childbirth
According to the Saed News analytical news agency, quoting Bitotah, the world’s largest flower, Rafflesia arnoldii, reaches about one meter in diameter. Harvard Botanical Magazine reported that this plant is a rootless parasite without stems, branches, or leaves, and it remains visually unrecognizable until it is ready to bloom. Interestingly, National Geographic recently reported that its bloom was spotted by chance in recent days.
The fully opened flower has a central chamber shaped like a sphere, resembling a planetarium or astronomical observatory. The speckled roof of this floral “observatory” is partially open toward the sky. This chamber is large enough that a baby could potentially crawl inside and sleep.
This remarkable flower grows in the rainforests of the Philippines and Indonesia. It is one of Indonesia’s three national flowers and even appears on commemorative stamps. In Thailand, its buds and blossoms are considered a delicacy, and some East Asian countries also use it for medicinal purposes. Indigenous people in northern Borneo believe that drinking Rafflesia tea after childbirth is beneficial.
