A blooming massive stink
QUESTION What’s the largest flower in the world?
Rafflesia arnoldi, the giant padma, is a parasitic plant native to the rainforests of sumatra and Borneo in indonesia. it produces the largest flower in the world which can grow to more than three feet in diameter and weigh more than a stone. When it blooms, it produces five giant, fleshy, tongue-like petals surrounding a circular central chamber and it emits a powerful smell of rotten meat to attract flesh-loving insects. it takes nine months to mature and flowering lasts only four to five days. Due to the specific ecosystem required by the plant, it’s almost impossible to cultivate and is only found in the wild.
It is sometimes called the corpse flower. Confusingly, that title truly belongs to an unrelated plant called amorphophallus titanum, the titan arum. This is the world’s tallest unbranched inflorescence (flowering structure) and can reach a whopping ten feet high. an inflorescence is not a single flower; it’s composed of hundreds of small buds on a single stalk. Native to sumatra, it too attracts pollinators with the smell of rotting meat.
Amorphophallus titanum has an unusual life cycle. it can take years to bloom and then flower for just 24-36 hours. There are examples at Kew Gardens and the eden Project in Cornwall. When in bloom, it is a popular attraction.
Dr Ken Warren, Glasgow.
QUESTION What’s the origin of the word ‘peccadillo’?
A PECCADILLO is a minor sin. Parents will recognise them in their children, who forget to say please and thank you or don’t wash their hands after using the loo. in modern usage, it’s often used to refer to minor sexual indiscretions.
Spanish speakers distinguished the peccadillo, or ‘little sin’, from the more serious pecado. The word can be traced back to the latin verb peccare, meaning ‘to transgress or sin’ and has been used in english since the late 16th century.
Lucy Harrison, Windermere, Cumbria.
QUESTION What are some ‘must have’ items that have gone out of fashion?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, the big craze of 2014 was loom bands, jewellery made out of brightly coloured elastic bands. Mercifully, the trend seems to have died out, as it was in danger of causing an environmental disaster.
Kaitlin smith, Daventry, Northants.
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