at Poring Hot Springs, Sabah, Malysian Borneo, August 2009
[i]Rafflesia[/i] are the largest single blooms in the world. There are several species in southeast Asia, the largest of which is [i]Rafflesia arnoldi[/i] of Sumatra at about a metre across. The species in this photograph, [i]Rafflesia keithii[/i] is somewhat smaller, only about 40cm or so in diameter
The blackened flower on the left is the last (now dead) bloom. On the flower on the right you can see several flies, attracted by the smell of rotting meat that the flower gives off - although I did not notice any stench, so perhaps my olfactory senses are faulty
