Example of Descriptive Text - Rafflesia Arnoldi

Example of Descriptive Text

Rafflesia Arnoldi

The vast archipelago and the great number of islands has made Indonesia the home of a large variety of plant life. The Indonesian flora ranges from the tiny orchid to the giant Rafflesia plant. No wonder many botanists are curious to study these plants.

The Rafflesia arnoldi is the biggest flower in the world. It is unusual because of its large size. It has a flower almost a metre in diameter and 1.40 metres in height.

"Raflesia" is derived from the name of the British Governor General, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who once governed and built the Botanical Gardens in Bogor. Though it is called Rafflesia after Raffles, the man who discovered the plant was Beccary, an Italian botanist who visited Sumatra in 1928.

Rafflesia consists of two parts: the stick4ifce part which grows in the middle and the petals around, and below it.

The Rafflesia plant begins to flower in Us tenth year, It blooms three or four times a year. Before it begins to flower, the leaves and the stem become dry and looks dead, but the main root in the ground is still alive.

While the flower is blossoming, it has a very unpleasant smell which attracts insects, especially green flies. They seem eager to explore the flower. But if the flies touch the bottom part of the stick, like centre, they die.