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Rafflesia family
Rafflesiaceae
ラフレシア科
A family of parasitic plants including Rafflesia, known for producing the world's largest flowers. Lacking leaves, stems, and roots, it exists as mycelium-like tissue within the host plant (Vitaceae and others), emerging only when flowering. About 3 genera and 40 species are distributed in tropical Asia.
Key Characteristics
- ●Holoparasitic plant lacking leaves, stems, and roots
- ●Exists as filamentous tissue within host plant tissues
- ●Flowers are very large, emitting a rotting smell to attract fly pollinators
- ●Some Rafflesia species produce flowers exceeding 1 m in diameter
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
5 petals / Many
Ovary position
Inferior
Plant sex
Dioecious / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Malpighiales > Rafflesiaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (about 45–35 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Extreme vegetative body reduction (loss of leaves, stems, and roots) accompanying evolution toward holoparasitism
- ・Specialization for fly pollinators through carrion-like odor
Plants in Rafflesia family on this site
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