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Saving the stinking corpse lily - 23rd October 2023

Gigantic, blood red and putrid, the stinking corpse lily of Southeast Asia looks – and smells – fierce, but according to a new study, this unique, misunderstood flora is at risk of extinction due to deforestation and misguided conservation efforts.

The genus Rafflesia are a group of parasitic flowers which emit the odour of rotting flesh to attract pollinators. Carrion flies land on corpse flowers’ rubbery petals in search of food but instead their legs become sticky with pollen.

Growing on vines in the rainforests of Indonesia, Borneo, Malaysia and the Philippines, these iconic plants are revered by many indigenous peoples as ethnobotanical medicine used especially as energy and fertility tonics. Despite their popularity in these cultures, Rafflesia generally remains a mystery to western scientists.

Besides being misunderstood, the flowers are recalcitrant to cultivation and severely endangered due to deforestation. Their habitats in Southeast Asia are the fastest disappearing forests in the world.

Published in the journal Plants, People, Planet, the first global study assessing Rafflesia highlighted, "taxa (populations of species) are still being eradicated before they are even known to science."

Despite 60 percent of Rafflesia species being at severe risk of extinction, two-thirds of their habitats remain unprotected. The study’s author, Dr Chris Thorogood stated "We urgently need a joined-up cross-regional approach to save some of the world’s most remarkable flowers."

Thorogood suggests increased research into Rafflesia taxonomy to better understand how conservationists could cultivate corpse flowers especially through ex situ propagation, growing outside of their natural habitat. In addition, Thorogood advocates the involvement of local people in the protection of the red giant.

The study notes "Indigenous peoples — who represent only five percent of the globe's human population — are the stewards of 80 percent of the Earth's biodiversity" and as many Rafflesia grow in inaccessible areas, these communities play a crucial role in mapping habitats.

Thorogood’s team believes in one more solution: ecotourism. How much would you pay to smell the world’s stinkiest flower?