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View all search resultsRare rafflesia rediscovery boosts hope for more research
The recent sighting of the Rafflesia hasseltii flower in West Sumatra is mostly welcomed by researchers and social media users, who rejoiced at the rediscovery of one of Indonesia’s national flowers.
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The flower of a 'Rafflesia hasseltii' is seen blossoming on Nov. 19 in Sumpur Kudus district, Sijunjung regency, West Sumatra. The flower was observed during a field observation jointly conducted by local conservationists as well as researchers from National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Oxford University. (Handout/Courtesy of Septian Andriki)
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recent sighting of a rare variant of the parasitic flower rafflesia has caught the attention of researchers and non-specialists alike, as hope rises that the rediscovery will lead to more answers about the plant.
A flower of the species Rafflesia hasseltii was found in Sumpur Kudus district, Sijunjung regency, West Sumatra, on Nov. 19, thanks to a tip received by Bengkulu-based conservationist and rafflesia enthusiast Septian Andriki from local resident early this year.
Septian, who once worked as a physical education teacher in an elementary school in Bengkulu, has joined expeditions to locate rafflesia since 2012. He has seen at least 12 rafflesia species since then, including discovering the Rafflesia kemumu species in 2017 in Bengkulu, a region known as ideal habitat for the plant.
Rafflesia hasseltii was among the remaining species Septian had not seen himself.
Read also: First 'corpse flower' blooms away from home at Bogor gardens
But he could not immediately check the information, as the suspected flower was located in the neighboring province of West Sumatra, a 15-hour drive away from Bengkulu. Only when Chris Thorogood of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, whom he had known since late 2010s, came to Indonesia in November that he dared to embark on the expedition.
“[Thorogood] asked whether I was sure it’s a hasselltii or not. I told him that I can’t guarantee, because in the photo, the flower had not bloomed yet,” Septian told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
