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‘The most charismatic and strange of all flowering plants’ When it comes to parasites, these plants are the stuff of nightmares. Called Rafflesiaceae, they have no roots, stems, or leaves of their own. For most of their lifespan they are invisible, living only as a small necklace of cells inside the woody vines of their host. Then, without warning — like the creature in the movie “Alien” — they burst out to bloom some of the largest flowers in the world. Their pungent smell of rotti...

 E-Mail IMAGE: Sapria himalayana is found in Southeast Asia and its mottled red and white flower is about the size of a dinner plate. view more  Credit: Davis Lab/ Charles Davis On January 22 in Current Biology, a team of Harvard-led researchers presented the most complete genome yet assembled of one of the major Rafflesiaceae lineages, Sapria himalayana. The species is found in Southeast Asia and its mottled red and white flower is about the size of a dinner plate. (Its more famou...

When it comes to parasites, these plants are the stuff of nightmares. Called Rafflesiaceae, they have no roots, stems, or leaves of their own. For most of their lifespan they are invisible, living only as a small necklace of cells inside the woody vines of their host. Then, without warning — like the creature in the movie “Alien” — they burst out to bloom some of the largest flowers in the world. Their pungent smell of rotting meat or fruit attracts the carrion flies that help pollinate...