Rafflesia

Rafflesia
Type		Weed
Spawns		When the town has reached the 'worst' rating
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC

Rafflesias are a type of weed in the Animal Crossing series that only appears if the player's town has too many weeds and/or trash, enough to generate the "worst" rating. The player can be reminded if a rafflesia has spawned in Wild World or City Folk if their environment rating report by Pelly or Phyllis mentions a gross flower.

The player cannot remove a rafflesia by hitting it with a shovel or trying to pick it up. It usually appears where there are the least weeds, so it has room to grow and flies can appear. To remove a rafflesia, the player must pull all the weeds in one acre. Once the player has picked enough weeds, the rafflesia will start to wilt and die within a few days, and then it will disappear. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, with no acre system to determine the town rating, the rafflesia is harder to remove. Building public works projects appears to be a more effective method of removing the plant.

Although rafflesias can negatively affect the player's environmental rating, they are able to attract flies around, which the player can use for easier catching. This mimics the real life behavior of it which emits the odor of rotting flesh to attract flies in order to pollinate.

In Animal Crossing: City Folk, a rafflesia can be seen in the insect section of the museum. Once the player catches a fly and donates it to Blathers, it will be seen flying around the plant.

Real-world information

The Rafflesia tuan-mudae is a rafflesia that can reach up to 1 meter in diameter. They can be found in Sarawak, Borneo. The flower is known for its pungent smell, which is frequently compared to the scent of rotting meat; the smell is used to attract flies, which act as the rafflesia's main pollinators.

Gallery

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  Sprite in Animal Crossing: Wild World.

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  A player character discovering a rafflesia in Animal Crossing: Wild World.