The rafflesia flower is the largest flower in the world - measuring three feet wide and weighing up to 36 pounds. This flower has no roots, stem, or leaves and emits a smell of rotting meat to attract certain flies. This flower acts as a parasite, living off of the vine called tetrastigma and harming it. The flowers are either male or female. Pollen is dispersed via flies, while small mammals, such as the plantain squirrels and tree shrews spread the seeds amongst the forest floors. The cells of this flower produce gametes through a process called meiosis.
Meiosis is the type of cell division in which the number of chromosomes is cut in half. This type of cell division typically occurs to produce germ cells (sperm or eggs). This reduction is essential for reproduction and occurs in all eukaryotes (such as plants, animals, fungi, and protists).
