Dictionary entry

Rafflesia

Webster's Dictionary 1913

‖Raf‐fle″si‐a (răf‐flē″zhĭ‐ȧ), n. [NL. Named from its discoverer, Sir S. Raffles.] (Bot.) A genus of stemless, leafless plants, living parasitically upon the roots and stems of grapevines in Malaysia. The flowers have a carrionlike odor, and are very large, in one species (Rafflesia Arnoldi) having a diameter of two or three feet.