Rafflesia arnoldii, a parasitic plant has the largest known flower in the world. The flower's diameter is almost a meter and its weight is about 11 kilograms. It is reddish brown and has white spots on it. It has a cup-shaped structure with five lobes and a central column having a disk. The plant has no visible roots, stems or leaves. It remains hidden within the roots or stems of the host trees or shrubs and only the bulky bud is visible.
Rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant and draws nutrition from lianas and vines of the rain forests with the help of threadlike structures that penetrate into the host trees or shrubs. It gives out a foul smell of rotting flesh that draws the attention of pollinating agents like flies. Buds of this plant are used in medicines for smooth delivery during childbirth and speedy recovery post childbirth and also as an aphrodisiac. This plant is a major attraction for eco-tourists.
Mistletoes are parasitic in nature and are from five different families of which Loranthaceae and the Viscaceae are the dominant ones comprising 90 percent of them. They are partially parasitic in nature. They extract water and some other nutrients from the host tree by penetrating deep inside its roots, thereby, depleting its nutrients. However, the plants have green leaves that carry out photosynthesis and provide additional nutrients for the plants.
Mistletoe enjoys extended sessions of flowering and is blessed with plentiful fruits every year. The flowers of mistletoe are yellow, orange and red and are horn-shaped. They produce huge amounts of nectar. Mammals consume leaves and fruits of the mistletoe plant. Various bird species live in nests on the mistletoe plant and even use its parts as building materials for their nests. The birds eat the mistletoe berries and dispose off the seed to be deposited on a tree for it to germinate.