This species was discovered in 1902 by Koorders at Puger (Jember), Java and named by him in 1918.
The species is only known from the Meru Betiri National Park, thus it is considered endangered. It was placed in synonymy with R. patma by Meijer (1997), however, morphological differences prompted Zuhud et al. (1998) to consider it a separate species, which it is considered in Nais (2001). The molecular study by Bendiksby et al. (2010) show that this is a taxon distinct from R. patma.
Rafflesia zollingeriana found at Krecek Block, National Park
Management Section (NPCS) Region II Ambulu, Meru Betiri National Park,
Jember, East Java, Indonesia. Photo, taken 23 April 2011 by Benny Weyara
Diendasaputra. From Wikipedia Commons.
Bendiksby M, Schumacher T, Gussarova G, Jamili N, Mat-Salleh K, Nery S, Madulid D, Smith SA, Barkman T. 2010. Elucidating the evolutionary history of the Southeast Asian, holoparasitic, giant-flowered Rafflesiaceae: Pliocene vicariance, morphological convergence and character displacement. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 57:620-633.
Koorders SH. 1918. Botanisch overzicht der Rafflesiaceae van
Nederlandsch-Indiƫ. G. Kolff and Company.
Meijer W. 1997. Rafflesiaceae. Pages 1-42 in Kalkman C, Kirkup DW, Nooteboom HP, Stevens PF, de Wilde WJJO, eds. Flora Malesiana, vol. 13. Leiden: Rijksherbarium.
Nais J. 2001. Rafflesia of the World. Sabah Parks.
Zuhud EAM, Hikmat A, Jamil N. 1998. Rafflesia Indonesia, Keanekaragaman, Ekologi dan Pelestariannya. . Bogor, Indonesia: Laboratorium Konservasi Tumbuhan, Institut Pertanian.