MEETING: Hidden giants: the strange world of Rafflesia with Dr. Pieter Pelser

Rafflesia is a small Malesian plant genus. Its species are most well-known for their exceptionally large and foul-smelling flowers, their bizarre parasitic life-style, and their rarity. Over the past 21 years, Julie Barcelona and Pieter have been studying various expects of the biology of Rafflesia species in the Philippines, with the aim to contribute to their conservation and find out more about the evolution of parasitic plants in general. In this presentation, Pieter will give an overview of what they have learned about the species diversity, evolutionary relationships, biogeography, patterns of genetic diversity, host preference, and reproductive biology of Rafflesia.

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