The Largest Flower in the World Smells Like Rotting Meat and Is Named After Stamford Raffles
In May 1818, an expedition led by [Stamford Raffles](/articles/stamford-raffles-singapore) and the surgeon-botanist Joseph Arnold found a 1-metre red flower in the Sumatran rainforest. It weighed about 7 kilograms, smelled of carrion, and had no leaves, stem, or roots. Arnold caught a fever and died on the trip back. The flower was named for both of them.
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