In the world of nature we see a great variety of flowers. We have virtually flowers of every conceivable colour. Some are so perfectly symmetrical with vibrant colours that their beauty attracts us immediately. Some others are shaped like insects or lizards.
Most flowers have fragrance. However, flowers are not just decorative creations but play a great productive role also. They produce fruits by the process of pollination and the fruits in turn produce seeds.
In this great world of flowers do you know which the biggest flower is and which is the smallest?
The biggest flower in the world is Rafflesia arnoldii. It is found in the Sumatran Jungle and can have a diameter of over a yard. It is about 0.75 inch thick and weighs about 7 kg. The flower can grow to 91 cm. (3 ft) wide. It blooms for five to seven days. It is reddish or orange brown in colour. It has an unpleasant odour which is attractive to flies. These flies carry out the pollination process. Rafflesia is a parasitic plant and feeds on the sap of trees. It does not have any leaves.
The largest recorded chrysanthemum flower was cultivated by Francois Santini of Indre – et – lorie, France. This giant flower was 2.5 m (8ft. 2 inch) tall and had 4041 blooms.
The smallest of all flowers is Wolifia punctata, aquatic duckweed which has fronds only 0.6 mm long and 0.013 mm wide. According to some recent data the smallest flower in diameter is that of Pilea-microphylla of Western India. Its diameter is 0.35 mm.
Apart from these flowers, there are some other flowers which are unique in themselves. For example white marigold flower is the rarest one. The Burpee Co. of USA awarded a prize of 20,000 dollars in 1945 to Alice Vonk for breeding this flower. The slowest flowering plant is the rare Puyu raimondii, the largest of all herbs, whose panicle emerges after about 150 years. Similarly some agaves, first flower after 40 years. The shape of some flowers is very strange. For example, Duralia flower looks like a star fish. A flower called shooting star looks like as if stars are falling down.