| Himalayan Sapria |
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Botanical name: Sapria himalayana Family: Rafflesiaceae (Rafflesia family)
Himalayan Sapria, a rare and interesting root parasite plant, is a botanical curiosity and is sensitive to human intervention. It is at the brink of extinction due to incessant human interventions in the natural forest environment, and has been included under the endangered category in the Red Data Book of the Botanical Survey of India. It is related to the better known Rafflesia. The flowers of Himalayana sapria are 20 cm across, unisexual, bright red in colour covered with sulphur-yellow spots. They appear above the ground and have a putrid odour. Flowering shoot is short, erect and unbranched. Buds are globose and have white and pink bracts. The flowering and fruiting occur during winter (December to February) The flower remains in its blooming stage for 2–3 days and after that it slowly splits open and becomes dark in colour and subsequently decomposes slowly. Fruits are swollen and crowned with perianth. The seeds are of the size of a grape fruit and blackish-brown in colour. Himalayan Sapria was first reported from Arunachal Pradesh, and is also distributed in Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya. At a global level, Himalayan Sapria has been reported only from northeastern India and Thailand.