Rafflesia arnoldii which then pollinate the rare plant. It is not to be confused with the titan arum, "Amorphophallus titanum", which is also commonly referred to as the "corpse flower" because of its repulsive odor. "Rafflesia arnoldii" is rare and fairly hard to locate. It is especially difficult to locate the flower in forests, as the buds take many months to develop and the flower lasts for just a few days. The flowers are unisexual and thus proximity of male and female flowers is vital for successful pollination. These factors make successful pollination a rare event. When "Rafflesia" is ready to reproduce,
Rafflesia of the expedition. The plant has no stems, leaves or roots. It is a holoparasite of vines in the genus "Tetrastigma" (Vitaceae), spreading its absorptive organ, the haustorium, inside the tissue of the vine. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petalled flower. In some species, such as "Rafflesia arnoldii", the flower may be over in diameter, and weigh up to . Even one of the smallest species, "R. baletei", has 12 cm diameter flowers. The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names which translate to "corpse