Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan, Mu Koh Ang Thong National Marine Park, Around Samui, Koh Katen, Pahluai
Temples, Waterfalls, Safari, Shows
Rafflesia kerrii - Khao Sok national park
Rafflesia kerrii in Khao Sok the largest flowering plant of Thailand
The Rafflesia flower is the largest flowering plant of all the world. Named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, he was the leader of an expedition into the Indonesian Rainforest back in 1818 when a local guide working for Dr Joseph Arnold discovered the huge flower. In all there are 27 species of Rafflesia the largest being Rafflesia Arnoldii which can measure over 100 cms in diameter and weigh up to 10kgs.
The first thing anyone notices about this flower is not it's size but the awful smell it emits as you approach. The smell, akin to that of rotting flesh, is used to attract pollinating insects. It is also known as the "corpse flower". Growing as a parasite on vines the plant has no stem or leaves but has root type structures which grow in the tissues of the host vine, the flower being the only visible part outside.
Named after A.F.G. Kerr an Irish botanist who first collected specimens while traveling in Thailand in 1927. Rafflesia Kerrii is found in Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand. Known to locals as "Bua Phut" which roughly means emerging lotus and "Bua Tum" which means closed flower. The flower is believed to have healing properties and is used in concoctions to treat back pain, fever and even as an aphrodisiac. The flowers of this parasitic plant only appear in the drier months of January to March. Small flower buds appear along the length of the host vine and once open they die after just one week. Weighing between 5-9kgs and measuring between 50-90 cms in diameter this deep red to orange coloured flower is listed as vulnerable with reference to conservation status.
More tours in the Samui archipelago and south Thailand
