| Rafflesia consueloae | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Rafflesiaceae |
| Genus: | Rafflesia |
| Species: | R. consueloae |
| Binomial name | |
| Rafflesia consueloae Galindon, Ong & Fernando, 2016 | |
 | |
| Range in green | |
Rafflesia consueloae is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the smallest species of the genus Rafflesia .
The Rafflesia consueloae discovery was a result of a long-term biodiversity conservation and monitoring program at the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed which commenced in March 2011. [1] R. consueloae was discovered on 11 February 2014 [2] when a researcher walking in a heavily degraded rain forest north of Manila tripped over a mass of rotting leaves, and noticed an unusual bloom; [3] a monitoring for the Rafflesia species was immediately started. The research team installed motion-activated camera to observe the life cycle of R. consueloae. [1]
Rafflesia consueloae was described and illustrated by John Michael M. Galindon and Perry S. Ong of the University of the Philippines Diliman and Edwino S. Fernando of University of the Philippines Los Baños. The species was named after Consuelo Rufino Lopez, the spouse of industrialist and conservationist, Oscar M. Lopez. [4] [5]
Under the Wildlife Forensics and DNA Barcoding of the Philippine Biodiversity Program of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau, the DNA barcode of R. consueloae and its host, an unidentified species of Tetrastigma , is being studied. [1]
The species is the smallest of all Rafflesia, measuring an average diameter of 9.73 centimeters (3.83 in) when fully expanded. [1] [3] The disk surface of newly opened flowers of R. consueloae is described to as distinctly cream-white and usually without processes. It is reported that R. consueloae has bisexual flowers, the third species after R. baletei and R. verrucosa to be described as such in the Philippines, but it has not been established whether both sexes of each flower are functional. [4]
Rafflesia consueloae's flowers do not exhibit the distinct odor found in R. arnoldii (nicknamed the "corpse flower") [3] and most species of Rafflesia, with its fruit instead bearing a smell reminiscent of young coconut meat. [1]
There are only two known habitats of the Rafflesia consueloae which are both within the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. The species is known to occur in Mount Balukbok and Mount Pantaburon. Its area of habitat in Mount Pantaburon is an old reforestation site. [4]
Rafflesia consueloae is known to occur between 300 meters (980 ft) and 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level. It grows exclusively in the roots of an unidentified species of Tetrastigma among thickets of Dinochloa luconiae, a climbing bamboo. [4]
Rafflesia consueloae was classified as "Critically Endangered" based on the IUCN Categories and Criteria of 2012 (IUCN 3.1) by those who described the species. The habitat of the species is a known hunting ground for some members of the local community. The sites are also particularly vulnerable to forest fires during the dry season. [4]
Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. The species have enormous flowers, the buds rising from the ground or directly from the lower stems of their host plants; one species has the largest flower in the world. Plants of the World Online lists up to 41 species from this genus, all of them are found throughout Southeast Asia.
Rafflesia arnoldii, the corpse flower, or giant padma, is a species of flowering plant in the parasitic genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on Earth. It has a strong and unpleasant odor of decaying flesh. It is native to the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the titan arum and talipot palm, those are technically clusters of many flowers.
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Pantabangan, officially the Municipality of Pantabangan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 31,763 people.
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The northern Luzon giant cloud rat or northern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat, also known as bu-ot in Filipino, is a large species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is only found in Luzon, the Philippines.
The Luzon fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is the only species within the genus Otopteropus and is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest.
Rafflesia tuan-mudae is a member of the Rafflesiaceae family. It lives as a parasite within the Tetrastigma vines. The enormous flowers may reach over 1 m in diameter. The buds normally emerge where the vine is growing along the ground, unlike some of the other Rafflesia species whose buds can emerge from vines hanging in the air.
Rafflesia philippensis is a parasitic plant species of the Rafflesiaceae family that was named by Francisco Manuel Blanco in his Flora de Filipinas in 1845. The species is known only from a mountain located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, Luzon where it was first discovered. Its plant host is Tetrastigma pisicarpum. This species went unnoticed since its first description by Blanco but was rediscovered in 2003 by members of the Tanggol Kalikasan, a local environment conservation group in Quezon province who first saw and photographed the open flower of this species. It was brought to the attention of Manuel S. Enverga University (MSEUF), who formed a team composed of students and faculty to document the newly discovered Rafflesia species.
Rafflesia lobata is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It is endemic to the Philippine island of Panay, particularly the mountains of Antique and Iloilo provinces. This is the second species recorded from the island of Panay. One of the most distinctive features of Rafflesia lobata is that some populations have flowers with a lobed diaphragm that opens outward. Nearly all other Rafflesia species have diaphragms that curve inward. This feature is polymorphic in R. lobata. As shown in the photos below, in some populations the diaphragm curves inward and may be 3- or 6-lobed. Note the 6-lobed flower also has 6 perigone lobes. It remains to be seen whether flower merousity has phylogenetic significance that should be taxonomically recognized. Some populations of R. manillana, such as one at Bolos Point, Cagayan Valley, Luzon, also have flowers with lobed, outwardly curving diaphragms.
Rafflesia schadenbergiana is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. Known as "bó-o" to the Bagobo tribe and "kolon busaw" to the Higaonon tribe of Bukidnon, it has the largest flower among the Rafflesia species found in the Philippines with a diameter ranging from 52 to 80 centimeters. It has also the second largest flower in the genus after R. arnoldii.
Balbalasang–Balbalan National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the municipality of Balbalan, Kalinga in the Cordillera Administrative Region. The park covers an area of 1,338 hectares and is centered on Mount Balbalasang in the barangay of the same name near the provincial border with Abra. Dubbed the "green heart of the Cordillera", the park is representative of the rich biodiversity and landscape of this mountain region with some of the most intact pine forests and richly endemic flora and fauna. It was declared a national park in 1972 by virtue of Republic Act No. 6463.
Sibalom Natural Park is a 5,511.47-hectare (13,619.1-acre) protected area in the Philippines on the island of Panay in the municipality of Sibalom, Antique. It was proclaimed a natural park on 23 April 2000. It is considered one of the last remaining lowland rainforests on Panay.
Rafflesia verrucosa was first identified and characterized during a small mammal survey of Mt. Kampalili in eastern Mindanao in 2010. R. verrucosa is the tenth species of Rafflesia found in the Philippines. Rafflesia species have rare and unusual flowers known for their large size and pungent smell. Some plant enthusiasts like Frits W. Went have gone to extreme measures to see these plants in bloom. Went detailed his search for Rafflesia saying,
"I had heard, when I was in Java many years ago, that Rafflesia were to be found on an offshore island named Nusah Kembangan. This was in 1929, when it was a penal colony for major criminals. My driver on this occasion was a convicted murderer, and my guide was serving time for cannibalism."
Julie F. Barcelona is a Filipina botanist and taxonomist working as Research Associate at University of Canterbury. She is mostly known for her research on the Philippine members of the genus Rafflesia.
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Danilo S. Balete, also known as Danny Balete, was a Filipino zoologist and biologist. His is known for his work on the Philippines' endemic mammal species. He pursued the question of what determines species diversity. The research by Balete and his team overturned previously held notions that diversity decreased in mountainous regions, showing that harsh environments could generate, rather than suppress, species diversity.
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Rafflesia lawangensis is a species of parasitic plant in the genus Rafflesia. It is exclusively found in Bukit Lawang, a small tourist village in Mount Leuser National Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Previously misidentified as Rafflesia arnoldii, photographs taken in 2005 led to the eventual separation of Rafflesia lawangensis as a distinct species in 2010.
Photo caption: R. consueloae population 11 days after discovery 22 Feb 2014.
Data related to Rafflesia consueloae at Wikispecies
Media related to Rafflesia consueloae at Wikimedia Commons