May flowers bring November showers for these intrepid biologists.
A flower hunter was moved to tears after encountering a super-rare species of bloom in Sumatra, Indonesia, marking the culmination of an over-decade-long plant pilgrimage. The movement moment was captured in an Instagram video blossoming online.
“Moments like this are electric,” Dr. Chris Thorogood, an Associate Professor of Biology at Oxford University who was on the expedition, told The Post. “The trek was tough and the flower so special that we were quite emotional about it.”
The species in question is Rafflesia hasseltii, a species of giant parasitic red flower that’s been “seen more by tigers than people,” per the post, which was posted by the University Of Oxford.
According to the post, Thorogood and his team had “trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests” to find this botanical holy grail.
In the clip, fellow team member and Indonesian flower hunter Septian “Deki” Andrikithat is seen on his knees, sobbing with joy over the rare find as Thorogood comforts him. It then cuts to the colossal white-speckled blossom unfurling its behemoth petals like something out of the “Little Shop Of Horrors.”
At the end of the clip, the flower-hunting duo reminisces about their one-in-a-million discovery. “This is very amazing,” gushed Andrikithat, who said that he’s been hunting for this particular flower for “13 years.”
“I’m the luckiest guy alive,” chimed in Thorogood.
The botanist told The Post that “sitting quietly with the flower was otherworldly” and compared it to “something sent from another planet.”
Witnessing the flower unfurl was particularly special given the Rafflesia’s ephemeral blooming cycle.
“It takes up to 9 months for the bud to develop, and it only opens for a few days,” said Thorogood. “This one opened in front of our very eyes.”
He added, “The odds of that are — well, I don’t even know what. It’s like it opened specially for us.”
According to the Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum, Rafflesia is entirely parasitic, spending its life in a species of tropical vine and only appearing above ground to bloom.
If that wasn’t alien enough, the elusive giants also emit a vile stench to similar to rotten meat, earning the moniker “corpse flower.”
The smell attracts flies, which “duped by the false promise of a carcass to lay their eggs on, inadvertently cross-pollinate the flowers,” the botanical garden writes.
There are over 40 species of this odiferous flower. One species, the Rafflesia arnoldii of Indonesian Sumatra, is the largest flower in the world, measuring a staggering three feet across.
Unfortunately, almost all are under severe threat from habitat destruction.
“Because of its dependency on other plants, and our inability to grow and conserve the plant easily in botanic gardens, Rafflesia is at particular risk,” the botanical department writes.
To preserve the species, the institution aims to “create the first ever Rafflesia conservation working group: sharing knowledge, tools and best practice.”
“Urgent action is needed to protect these remarkable flowers, and requires international collaboration and knowledge exchange to enable habitat protection,” Oxford declared.
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