February 2009 – Finding Rafflesia at Poring Hot Springs

Our second goal was to find Rafflesia.  Rafflesia is the biggest flower in the world and it grows as saprophyte on the root of a vine. It blooms for seven days but there is no specific season.  The best way to find it is word of mouth – and we had word that there was one in bloom on the road to Poring Hot Springs.  The tip was to look for the sign with a hand drawn rafflesia.

We drove toward Poring, saw the sign and pulled over.  You paid a small fee and one of the villagers took you along a trail to a fenced off area.  It was amazing!  After seeing the flower, we drove to the Orchid Conservation Center at Poring to see native orchids in cultivation.