REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BENGKULU -- At leat 53 Rafflesia arnoldii and Rafflesia bengkuluensis flowers bloomed in Bengkulu forestlast year, according to an environmentalist.

"Most of them were Rafflesia arnoldii flowers because its population is the largest in the province," Coordinator of the Community of Bengkulu Rare Flower Lovers Sofian Ramadhan said here recently.

Bengkulu's forest is a home to four Rafflesia species - Rafflesia arnoldii, bengkuluensis, gadutensis and hasselti.

Of the four species, Rafflesia arnoldii was the first to be discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Joseph Arnold in 1818 in Pulo Lebar village, South Bengkulu District.

Rafflesia arnoldii flower is the world's largest flower having a diameter of between 70 and 110 cm.

Rafflesia flowers are found in forest areas in the districts of Central Bengkulu, Kepahiang, Seluma and Kaur.

In Central Bengkulu, the rare flowers grow mostly in Taba Penanjung sanctuary.

"In Kepahiang, Bukit Daun protected forest has Rafflesia flowers," he said.

At present, a Rafflesia bengkuluensis flower is in full bloom in Padang Guci flower, Kaur District.

Rare Rafflesia flower in Bengkulu is endangered due to forest encroachment.

Bengkulu, which is dubbed "The Land of Rafflesia", is set to host an international symposium on Rafflesia and Amorphophallus flowers, the world's rarest and largest flowers, in September 2015.

"Bengkulu has been chosen as the host city because the Bengkulu forest is home to Rafflesia and Amorphophallus flowers," researcher of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Sofi Mursidawati said in Bengkulu last year.

The symposium, to be organized jointly by LIPI and the Bengkulu administration, was originally planned to focus on Rafflesia, but later the organizing committee decided to also include Amorphophallus, because much of the public cannot distinguish between Rafflesia and Amorphophallus flowers.

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