PLANTS: Monoecious or dioecious stem or root parasites, lacking chlorophyll. STEMS: not apparent and entirely inside host plants (in ours) or reduced and fleshy. LEAVES: highly reduced, scale-like. INFLORESCENCE: short spikes or the flowers solitary. FLOWERS: generally imperfect, actinomorphic; sepals 4-16, often fused at base; petals none; stamens 5-many, fused to axis of style, forming a column; pistil of l-several locules (= carpels-); column expanded at tip into a disk with stigmatic areas along or under margin; ovary more or less inferior; placentation parietal. FRUITS: various, generally fleshy. SEEDS: numerous, minute. NOTES: 7-8 genera; 30-50 spp; worldwide, especially in tropical areas. Taxonomically the family is poorly known. Species of Rafflesia have world's largest flowers. REFERENCES: Yatskeivych, George. 1994. Rafflesiaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 27(2), 239.
