rafflesia

American  

[ruh-flee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh, ra-] / rəˈfli ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə, ræ- /

noun

1. any stemless, leafless, parasitic plant of the genus Rafflesia, of the Malay Peninsula and Republic of Indonesia, characterized by apetalous flowers, measuring 3 inches–3 feet (8–90 centimeters) in diameter, that exude a putrid odor: now greatly reduced in number.

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rafflesia British  

/ ræˈfliːzɪə /

noun

1. any of various tropical Asian parasitic leafless plants constituting the genus Rafflesia , esp R. arnoldi , the flowers of which grow up to 45 cm (18 inches) across, smell of putrid meat, and are pollinated by carrion flies: family Rafflesiaceae

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Etymology

Origin of rafflesia

From New Latin (1821), after T. S. Raffles, who obtained the type specimen

Example Sentences

This class of “carrion flowers” includes many species, but few are as charismatic as Rafflesia arnoldii, also known as the “stinking corpse lily,” which also holds the record as the world’s largest flower.

From Salon • May 27, 2025

“To spend time with a rare Rafflesia flower,” Thorogood said, “is the closest thing to magic.”

From Salon • May 27, 2025

He encountered the massive Rafflesia flower, which featured nearly two-foot-wide scarlet petals and smelled like a rotting corpse, and a phosphorescent fungus that emitted enough light at night to allow him to read a newspaper.

From National Geographic • Jan. 23, 2024

Rafflesia spends most of its life span as a tangle of strandlike cells lurking inconspicuously underneath the bark of a woody vine called Tetrastigma, before emerging as drab, golf ball–sized buds.

From Scientific American • Mar. 25, 2022

The guide who was some distance behind, came up with a Rafflesia bud. 

From Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries by Griffith, William