Today, as I was poking around for reference material to back up my assertion, I found this lovely page, including some fun quotes:
- [...] flowers are slowly emerging from lianas buried in forest leaf-litter
- In fact, Rafflesia are leafless parasitic plants residing just beneath the rough bark of lianas in the genus Tetrastigma.
- Unfortunately, foresters frequently cut and destroy lianas to reduce competition in the canopy
- While walking through the forest, their sharp hooves might cut the bark of a buried liana and push seeds into the wound. [ouch!]
- Rafflesia spreads its hairlike tendrils into the liana’s growth ring, or cambium. [eek!]
And this page has one shot with the compelling caption "Flower and buds of Rafflesia cantleyi on a heavily parasitized liana".
† Technically, Rafflesia parasitizes members of the Vitaceae family only.