Question

Biggest flower belongs to a plant which is?
A. Partial stem parasite
B. Partial root parasite
C. Total stem parasite
D. Total root parasite

Answer 1

Hint: A plant that behaves as a parasite as it derives all or some of its nutrition from other living plants is known as a parasitic plant. The parasitic plants belong to the Angiosperms and are adapted to different types of habitats. Most parasitic species have modified different or specific parts of the body to penetrate the host cells to get nourishment from the host.

Complete answer: Rafflesia arnoldii is a species of flowering plant belonging to the parasitic genus Rafflesia. It is the most famous species as it produces the biggest individual flower on Earth and is also known as the corpse lily or stinking corpse lily.
It has a very strong and horrible smell of decaying flesh, for this reason, it gets the nickname corpse flower. It is commonly found in south-east Asia, mainly in the rainforest in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. It is a parasitic plant. The plant attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. It belongs to the genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae.
The plant has no stems, leaves, or roots. It is a holoparasite of vines. A holoparasitic plant is a type of plant which derives all of the fixed carbon from the host. The holoparasite does not have chlorophyll and is found in other colours. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside is the host vine. It is a five-petalled flower. Its diameter can be over a hundred centimetres. and the weight of this flower may be up to ten kilograms. The plant spreads its absorptive organs that is known as the haustorium to absorb the carbon fixed by the host plant. The haustorium enters the tissues of the vine.
The odour of the flowers attracts various insects such as flies, which transfer pollen from male to female flowers.
The Rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant and as they lack chlorophyll, they are not capable of preparing their own food. They take their food along with water and minerals from the roots of the host plant and depend on the host. Thus, the plant is considered as a total root parasite.

Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

Note: The largest flower in the world is Rafflesia arnoldii, which is more than three feet wide in diameter. This plant is without roots, shoots, stems, or leaves. They are a parasitic plant. This flowering plant does not have the ability to prepare food. For the food, they depend on the host plant which is derived by modified organs known as the haustorium.