Weekly Trinity journal., 1869-05-15
NUMBER 10.
A Wonderful Flower

"Come with me, sir; come A flower very
large and beautiful, wonderful ~ exclaimed
Malay, who drew the attention of DR.. Arnold to
flower remarkable alike for its enormous size
and its anomalous structure and habit. And
the surprise of the Malay was nothing to that of
DR.. Arnold and his companions, Sir Stamford
and Lady Raffles, when following their native
attendant, they saw among the bushes of jun
gle Hover apparently springing out OF the
ground, without either stem or leaf, and meas
uring at least yard in diameter. The first
news of this remarkable discovery created
great amount of curiosity in Europe, and no
papers ever read at the sEinEeen Society can be
compared, for the interest they excited, with
those ir which the llustrious Robert Brown des-
crbed this wonder of the vegetable world. The
most striking feature in the Raf1esa is its enor-
nous size indeed, it is the largest and most
magnificent flower in the world. 1t is composed
of five roundish leaves or petals, each a foot
across, of a brick-red color, but covered with
numerous irregular yellowish swellings. The
petals surround large cup nearly foot wide,
the margin of which bears the stamens; and
this cup is filled with heshy disc, the upper
surface of which is covered with curved projec-
tons, like miniature cows horns. The cup,
when freed from its contents, would hold about
twelve pnts of water. The flower weighs fifteen
pounds 1t is very thick the petals being from
one to three-qnarters of an inch in thickness.
A flower of such dimensions and weight
might be expected to be treasure to the per-
fumer but alas its odor is exactly like that
of tainted beef! DR.. Arnold supposed that even
the flies that swarmed over the flower when he
discovered it, deceived by the smell, and
were depositing their eggs in its thick Disc TAX
ing it for piece of carrion !! Another cause of
wonder to the little band of explorers who discov
cred it, was that they could find no leaves con-
nected with it. 1t sprang from small leafess
creeping stem, about as thick as two fingers.
Now plant without leaves is like an animal
without stomach for the leaves are TO the
plant what the stomach is to the animal they
separate from the air what is needed for the
growth of the plant.
There are, however, strange plants which are
actually leaacss, making up for this want by
using the leaves of others. Such plants are
called parasites, because they feed on the nutri-
tive Juices of others Thrustng their roots into
the living tissues of other plants, instead of into
the earth, they appropriate the prepared food of
these plants, and at once apply it for their own
purposes for the production of stem, flower
fruit The gigantic Raffesia belongs to this
class Without vestige of foliage, it rises at
once from the long, slender stems of of the
wild vines of Sumatra - immense climbers,
which are attached like cables to the large trees
of the forest. The buds push through the bark
like little buttons, continuing to grow until they
have the aspect of large closed cabbages, and in
about three months after their first appearance
the flower expands. 1t remains but short
time in perfection, soon beginning to rot leav-
ing only the central disc, which becomes large,
rough fruit, filled with multitudes of small
seeds World Of Honders.