rafflesia

[ ruh-flee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh, ra- ]
/ rəˈfli ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə, ræ- /

noun

any stemless, leafless, parasitic plant of the genus Rafflesia, of the Malay Peninsula and Republic of Indonesia, characterized by apetalous flowers, measuring 3 in.–3 feet (8 cm–90 cm) in diameter, that exude a putrid odor: now greatly reduced in number.

Origin of rafflesia

< New Latin (1821), after T. S. Raffles, who obtained the type specimen

Example sentences from the Web for rafflesia

British Dictionary definitions for rafflesia

rafflesia
/ (ræˈfliːzɪə) /

noun

any of various tropical Asian parasitic leafless plants constituting the genus Rafflesia, esp R. arnoldi, the flowers of which grow up to 45 cm (18 inches) across, smell of putrid meat, and are pollinated by carrion flies: family Rafflesiaceae

Word Origin for rafflesia

C19: New Latin, named after T. S. Raffles, who discovered it