Rafflesia (/rəˈfliːz(i)ə, -ˈfliːʒ(i)ə, ræ-/) is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. The species have enormous flowers, the buds rising from the ground or directly from the lower stems of their host plants; one species has the largest flowers in the world. Plants of the World Online lists up to 41 species from this genus, all of them are found throughout Southeast Asia. The following is from Arnold's account of discovering the flower: