Two Rafflesia Arnoldii flowers bloom in Bengkulu

Bengkulu, South Sumatera – Two Rafflesia Arnoldii flowers blooms in Bukit Daun protected forest in Central Bengkulu.
“We found two flowers bloom only on a distance of 1.5 meters,” said Tom, a resident of the village, Antara News reported on Tuesday (24 Jan).
Residents already provided footpaths to facilitate visitors. “Visitors will not have difficulty because we have made paths to the location of the flowers,” Tom said.
He also said, residents have established a guard post on the edge of the road. The Bengkulu province iconic flowers were maintained for 24 hours because they are prone to theft and vandalism.
Tomi informed the rare 80cm diameter flowers have bloomed for three days and are expected to be enjoyed up to four days ahead.
The coordinator of Bengkulu Rare Flower Community Care, Sofian Ramadan, said there were nine Rafflesia flowers that bloomed in January 2017. “Two locations with the most numerous Rafflesia blooms are in Central and North Bengkulu,” he said.
Bukit Daun protected forest and nature reserves Taba Penanjung I and II, located in Central Bengkulu, are the habitats of Rafflesia Arnoldii, while Bukit Daun protected forest in North Bengkulu is the habitat of Rafflesia Gadutensis.
Rafflesia Arnoldii flowers are species of the genus Rafflesia which has the largest diameter of the other three species identified in Bengkulu forest: Rafflesia Gadutensis, Rafflesia Bengkuluensis, and Rafflesia Hasselti.