libutron:Himalayan Sapria - Sapria himalayanaRelated to the best known Rafflesia, the Himalayan Sapr
libutron:Himalayan Sapria - Sapria himalayanaRelated to the best known Rafflesia, the Himalayan Sapria, Sapria himalayana (Malpighiales - Rafflesiaceae), is a rare, root parasite plant, native to India, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The flowers are 20 cm across, unisexual, bright red in color covered with sulphur-yellow spots. They appear above the ground and have a putrid odor. Being an obligate holoparasitic plant, Sapria himalayana lacks chlorophyll and is totally dependent on their host for nutrients.Rafflesiaceae possess the largest flowers of all angiosperms. Like other holoparasitic angiosperms, the phylogenetic affinities of Rafflesiaceae have proved difficult to resolve because of their reduced vegetative morphology, highly modified reproductive structures, and anomalous and often accelerated molecular evolution.References: [1] - [2]Photo credit: ©algodong | Locality: not indicated (2010) -- source link