Sapria Explained

Sapria is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. It grows within roots of Vitis and Tetrastigma. The genus is limited to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia.

The flowers of Sapria are about 20 cm in diameter, bright red with yellow or white dots, unisexual and dioecious. In contrast with the related genus Rafflesia the flowers have 10 lobes.

Species

Four species are described.

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Sapria himalayana	found in Tibet, Assam in northeast India, South-Central China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
	Sapria poilanei	found in Cambodia.
	Sapria ram	found in central and southern Thailand.
	Sapria myanmarensis	first described in 2019, is native to Myanmar.

References

• Griffith, Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. 1: 216. 1844.
• Sapria in Flora of China 5: 271. 2003.
• A rare root parasitic plant (Sapria himalayana Griffith.) in Namdapha National Park, northeastern India in Current Science, Vol. 85, No. 12, 25 December 2003