A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WTH THE RAFFLESIA

     

 In a 130 million year-old forest older than the Amazon and Congo, the piece de resistance here is the RAFFLESIA. Also infamously known as the STINKING CORPSE LILY, it is one of the world's most distasteful plants. Consider yourself so lucky if you encounter it. I use the word "encounter" because you can go looking for it like the Holy Grail (slight exaggeration here), but finding the Rafflesia is an unexpected chance meeting. I think I can use the phrase, "You don't find it, IT FINDS YOU."

        Gismo Man, Savvy K and I trekked the Belum-Temenggor rain forest. This primary rain forest forms part of the Royal Belum State Park, a primary untouched and protected land mass. The Rafflesia is a rarity, but it can be found here in the Royal Belum as the vines on which the plant grows on is found only in primary rain forests.

Rafflesia arnoldii, has been given the honour as the Earth's largest single flower. It's bloom can stretch three feet in diameter and weigh as much as 20 pounds. If you have any doubts, take a look at its BUDS growing on the vines from where this parasitic plant gets all its water and nutrients. 

It has no roots, stems or leaves but is parasitic on its hosts, the tetrastigma vines. 

The buds have only less than 20% chance of growing into full bloom, a process that takes many months. Sadly the flower lasts for only a few days. 

        The bloom has five huge spotted red-cream petals. Its rotting smell attracts carrion flies and insects into its centre to help pollinate the plant. Pollination of this rare beauty must take place in the few days the plant is in bloom, or sorry ... there will be NO next generation of Rafflesia.

      The bloom has both male and female parts for effective pollination. Thinking about it, the Rafflesia is quite innovative to smell so revolting. Science fact: if you are living deep in the dense, wet jungle floor, it 's no point smelling like a rose as there are no birds or bees visiting you as pollinators. Might be better to be HUGE with a REVOLTING STENCH since only the insect, beetles and flies are aplenty here.

        I would not describe the Rafflesia as beautiful. It is SIMPLY STUNNING and MAJESTIC as it sprawls on the forest floor waiting to be found. I think it is so sad for it to garner the label as one of the world's most distasteful plants.

    Gismo Man captured it. Savvy K was more trusting, "OK, I can smell it from       waayyy over here,"

but I being a scientist WILL never take any written or oral fact for granted. If it is here, I WILL do the test. In this case, smelling its characteristic rotting meat aroma. 

PHEW ... HEAVENLY! Okay it is true, point taken, it smelt real BAD. 

Recently Indonesian conservationists documented the largest specimen of this largest bloom in the world at an almighty 3.6 feet in diameter. 

The Rafflesia tuan-mudae displayed its perfect bloom on 3 January 2020

Acknowledgement: RD Minion, Rojak Daily for above two pictures

Note:

The Rafflesia has been included in the endangered plant list in 1997. It is rapidly loosing its habitat with the clearing of primary rain forests for logging and other agricultural purposes.

If you “belum lawat” BELUM, tunggu apa lagi?

Martian Girl and I kayaking into the sunset

Translation from Bahasa Malaysia, If you have not yet visited Belum, what are you waiting for?

      The Royal Belum State Park holds a tropical rainforest ecosystem where an undisturbed land mass of over 130 million years awaits you. It is designated as one of the world's oldest rain forest. We were there when Savvy K was still Martian Girl, a geeky and fun teenager who believed then, that her mother was always right. Now, this mother can do NO RIGHT!

        The resort is rustic and if you are the Indiana Jones type, adventure awaits you. Be warned, if you are a city-slicker where mere ants upset you, don’t bother to come to the Royal Belum cos’ the Kerengga (Weaver Ants) will eat you alive.

          It was her first kayaking experience and she did good in the Temenggor Lake. I sat behind for her to lead, also so she could do all the paddling and did not suspect I just enjoyed the glorious sunset while pretending to paddle.

           
           Martian Girl wanted to try the bamboo rafts but I had traumatic experiences with these. Consisting of bamboo poles tied together, these rafts are transportation for the “Orang Asli” (indigenous people living in the forests). The rafts will sink immediately into the water when you step on them, but they will slowly float back up when an equilibrium with the water is reached.

            I had to used such rafts when we went into the jungles to collect blood samples for our research. Imagine 4 city scientists with our research gear strapped to our bodies squatting on the raft floating across rivers. There was nothing to cling on to, we didn’t twitch a muscle in case we rolled over.
        We opted for an entire day programme into the forests with our guide, Samad

       where we visited the Orang Alsi who lived next to rivers

     and interacted with the families. 

          The indigenous groups here live in wooden homes close to the river for easy transportation. They still hunt small mammals using their poison tipped blow pipes.

        Humidity was very high in the untouched Belum-Temenggor, but it was cool beneath the towering trees. We shared the day with every imaginable creepy crawly - centipedes, millipedes and leeches.

        We trekked for hours in the forests as we booked for a seven-hour activity,

       over suspended bridges where we showed our kung fu moves 

(I am doing the praying mantis stance)

     and beautiful butterflies as they came in droves to lick the salty sweat on our arms.

    Different types of butterflies on a rotted mushroom with only a lattice remaining.
    We were provided with packed lunches in the jungle huts, but I must be honest and say it was difficult to share you lunch with unknown crawling creatures!

          The Ruok water fall surprised us and

        as we did not have our swimming suits, we just waded in the icy water, but the Caucasians in our group just could not resist. So they stripped down to their underpants and scaled to the top in all their glory! 

          And when one of them needed to dry his underpants, what an ingenious idea he had. Also served as a very eye-catching red cap from the afternoon sun while on the boat. As they say, necessity is the Mother of invention!

        I won't tell what Martian Girl thought of this but she learnt much from this Lara Croft expedition.