A group from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Aklan, along with third-party validators of the National Greening Program (NGP), sighted Rafflesia lobata in Ma. Cristina, Madalag, Aklan, on April 16, 2024, on their way to the NGP site.
Rafflesia lobata is only found in Panay and Negros Occidental. It is one of the few Rafflesia species that produce aerial buds and flowers several meters above the ground. Its conservation status is vulnerable, according to DENR Administrative Order 2017-11.
One of the most distinctive features of Rafflesia lobata is that the flowers have a lobed diaphragm that opens outward.
The Philippines has 13 currently recognized Rafflesia species found on the five larger islands: Luzon, Samar, Mindanao, Negros, and Panay. (DENR-6)
