Rafflesia kemumu (Rafflesiaceae), a new species from Northern Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Rafflesia kemumu is a new species described from Northern Bengkulu in Sumatra, Indonesia. The species resembles R. gadutensis in size of the open flower, but differs from it with regard to the color and wart ornamentation on the upper surface of the perigone lobes, color and presence/absence of warts on the upper surface of the diaphragm, blots pattern on the two concentric rings of windows near the diaphragm opening, types and distribution of ramenta, number and shapes of processes, and number of anthers. The new species has orange to dark orange perigone lobes with warts of two sizes, in which smaller warts are often merged, and surround larger ones, and 23 slender, conical processes with rounded apex, arranged in two concentric rings (15 and 7 processes each) and a single process in the center of the disc. Rafflesia kemumu has no warts at its upper surface of diaphragm, simple and compound toadstool ramenta on its upper perigone tube and the lower part of the lower surface of its diaphragm and broccoli-like ramenta distributed from the base to the upper part of the perigone tube.

Ramenta morphology and its variations in Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae)

“…Later, Meijer (1997) drew attention to ramenta structure in his treatment of Rafflesia for Flora Malesiana in species discrimination. The importance of ramenta in Rafflesia taxonomy also has been stressed by Mat-Salleh and Latiff (1989), Nais (2001), Latiff and Wong (2004), Susatya et al (2005), Barcelona et al (2009), and Susatya (2007Susatya ( , 2011.…”

“…The labels p, mp, and d refer to the location of ramenta throughout the inner surface of the perigone tube, on the middle part of the perigone tube, and on the inner surface of diaphragm, respectively. Ramenta of R. bengkuluensis and R. patma is redrawn from Susatya et al (2005) and Meijer (1997), respectively.…”

Insect visits and variation of floral temperatures during blossoming of Rafflesia gradutensis

“…Rafflesiaceae is distributed in South East Asia from Thailand through western Malaysia and the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra and Java [2,3,4]. As this region suffers huge loss of forest area, some habitats of Rafflesiaceae have also been destructed.…”

Transcriptome analysis of Rafflesia cantleyi flower stages reveals insights into the regulation of senescence

“…Rafflesia is a genus of holoparasitic angiosperm from the family Rafflesiaceae. Among its family members, Rafflesia is the most species-rich genus, comprising over 30 species with many new species being described in recent years 1 – 3 . Rafflesia is unique among other flowering plants due to its highly reduced vegetative structures, yet produces the largest flower in the world 4 .…”