The name R.Br. is an abbreviation of Robert Brown. This species was named in honor of Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr. Joseph Arnold.
Although it was first described, due to its late publication, the name Rafflesia titan was not used for this flower. Rafflesia titan is considered a synonym of Rafflesia arnoldi.
This incident is considered ironic because it was William Jack who sent several specimens from South Bengkulu that Robert Brown may have used to describe the new species.
Four years after Robert Brown's article was published, the flower Deschamps saw on Nusakambangan was named Rafflesia Patma by C.L. Blume in 1825.
C.L. Blume was a Dutchman of German descent who served as director of the Bogor Botanical Gardens at the time.
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25 Species of Rafflesia Grow in Indonesia
The Rafflesia species is one of the icons or prima donnas of Indonesian flora. However, public attention has only reached the point of becoming an icon and symbol, while conservation efforts are almost minimal.
In fact, Indonesia has the largest Rafflesia resource in the world.
Of the 25 currently recorded species, 12 are native to Indonesia. Malaysia and Sabah only have six species, as does the Philippines.
In the last five years, five new species have been discovered in the Philippines. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, only two or three new species have been discovered in the last 20 years.
This shows that our attention and research are far behind those of Malaysia and the Philippines, even though this species first appeared in Indonesia.
This lack of attention is particularly concerning because most Rafflesia species are classified as endangered.
For example, Rafflesia Atjehensis is considered extinct because it has been unseen for a long time.
Similarly, R. rochussenii is also in the process of extinction, as its population is dwindling.
The same is true for R. bengkuluensis, where much of its habitat has been converted to plantations.