Rafflesia’ or ‘padma’? Debate renewed over renaming of flower

A man sitting next to a giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae, a fleshy red flower with white blister-like spots on its enormous petals and measuring 111cm in diameter, at the Maninjau nature preserve in Agam, West Sumatra, on Jan 2, 2020. - AFP

JAKARTA: In November, people on social media rejoiced for a few weeks following the rediscovery of a rare species of the Rafflesia parasitic flower in West Sumatra. However, the rediscovery was met by renewed debate among researchers and public alike about academic colonialism.

The concerns hinged on whether the Rafflesia, which was named after a European colonial figure, should be renamed to better represent its South-East Asian origin and remove its colonial legacy.