Rafflesia: the giant parasite flower The world’s largest single flower spends most of its life hidden inside jungle vines as tiny filaments, with no leaves, stems, or roots of its own. After nearly two years, it bursts open as a five-lobed “corpse flower” that reeks of rotting meat to lure carrion flies. Recent Oxford-led research warns that most of the 42 known Rafflesia species are now in serious danger of extinction due to habitat loss.