Rafflesia arnoldii (Credit: Bruce Coleman Collection, photo by Allain Compost)
There are many things to do in Borneo, including some great diving and snorkelling, pure white beaches and a plethora of unique species of animal but our interest had been piqued by a story from a taxi driver.
Every few years, for a couple of days only, and exclusivly to this region, the world’s largest flower blooms, and he knew where it could be found. He recommended a taxi driver who could be hired for the day and we arranged to go the following morning, whilst we had the chance.
The next day our luxury cab arrived and the driver fell out, coughing and spluttering, stopping only when he’d lit another cigarette. Entering the taxi it had been tastefully decorated in padded leather and crystal chandeliers throughout. The phrase ‘Less is more’ doesn’t seem to have reached the Borneo Taxi Company, but it provided something to discuss for the two hour ride.
We set off and managed about 15 minutes before the driver had to stop, cough and splutter and have another cigarette. This would have been annoying but his driving was so terribly jerky it was actually a relief to stop and let the nausea subside. A number of stops later and we pulled up to a small layby which provided a beautiful panorama of Mount Kinabalu, a 4000m high UNESCO World Heritage protected peak. Our appreciation of the view was tempered slightly by the rushing sound of the driver urinating, then coughing, cursing and frantically trying to dry off his trousers.
After an unidentified but very cheap lunch at a roadside café we pulled off down a small farm track and we met by a surprised farmer who led us down into his fields. As we neared a small copse covered in netting the first thing that struck was the overall stench. The smell is similar to that of rotting flesh which explains why it’s commonly referred to as the “corpse flower”. Unusually for a flower it doesn’t have any leaves, stems or roots as it’s a parasite, attaching itself to forest vines. The Rafflesia arnoldii can reach three feet across and weigh up to 10kgs. Ours was probably only a couple of feet across, but still very impressive. Not being allowed too close for fear of damaging it we got some very out-of-context photos and left for the stop-start ride back to the hotel.
I was actually expecting a different flower, the Amorphophallus titanium, or Titan Arum, which has similar characteristics, including being known as the corpse flower, but after a bit of research turns out to be composed of many tiny flowers. Titan Arum can reach 12 feet high and 77kgs, so that will have to wait for another time.
Further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia_arnoldii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Arum
