An Indonesian conservation worker broke down in tears after he and his team discovered a rare flower he had spent 13 years trying to find.
Septian “Deki” Andriki became emotional when they spotted the Rafflesia hasseltii, a species so uncommon that the University of Oxford describes it as “a plant seen more by tigers than people.”
The Rafflesia hasseltii is one of the rarest types of Rafflesia. Deki spent more than a decade searching for it, facing danger in remote forests just for a chance to see the bloom.
According to Dr. Chris Thorogood, Associate Professor of Biology at Oxford University, “Very few people have ever seen this plant. Its buds take months—sometimes up to nine—to mature. Once it blooms, it only stays open for a short time, so the chance of finding it is extremely low.”
Deki joined a research team studying Rafflesia species. They traveled for 23 hours to reach Sijunjung in West Sumatra, an area known for tigers and rhinos. Deep in the forest, after long hours of waiting and even staying until nightfall, the group finally witnessed the flower open.
The Rafflesia is a parasitic plant found in Southeast Asia and is known as the world’s largest single flower. It is difficult to study because it grows in thick, hard-to-reach forests and has a very short lifespan.
The search for Rafflesia hasseltii is part of a major regional project aiming to map the full genetic relationships of different Rafflesia species. Researchers in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are working together to complete the study.
Their goal is to develop conservation plans based on new genetic and ecological findings, hoping to protect these rare and fragile flowers for the future.