Genus
Stapelia consists of around 40
species of low-growing, spineless, stem succulent
plants, predominantly from
South Africa. The
flowers of certain species, most notably
Stapelia gigantea, can reach 41
cm (16
inches) in diameter when fully open. Most
Stapelia flowers are visibly hairy and generate the odour of rotten flesh; a notable exception is the sweetly-scented
Stapelia flavopurpurea. Such odours serve to attract various specialist pollinators including, in the case of carrion-scented blooms, blow flies of the dipteran family
Calliphoridae. They frequently lay eggs around the coronae of
Stapelia flowers, convinced by the plants' deception.
The hairy, oddly textured and coloured appearance of many Stapelia flowers has been claimed to resemble that of rotting meat, and this, coupled with their odour, has earned the most commonly grown members of the Stapelia genus the common name of "carrion flowers".
A handful of species are commonly cultivated as pot plants and are even used as rockery plants in countries where the climate permits. Stapelia are good container plants and can grow well under full sun and light to moderate watering. They should be planted in well-drained compost as the stems are prone to rotting if kept moist for long.[1]
Selected species
- Stapelia acuminata
- Stapelia albicans
- Stapelia albipilosa
- Stapelia arenosa
- Stapelia asterias
- Stapelia aurea
- Stapelia ausana
- Stapelia barklyi
- Stapelia bayfieldii
- Stapelia baylissii
- Stapelia bella
- Stapelia cactiformis
- Stapelia cantabrigensis
- Stapelia caudata
- Stapelia cedrimontana
- Stapelia clavicorona
- Stapelia cupularis
- Stapelia desmetiana
- Stapelia dinteri
- Stapelia divaricata
- Stapelia divergens
- Stapelia engleriana
- Stapelia erectiflora
- Stapelia flavopurpurea
- Stapelia gariepensis
- Stapelia gettliffei
- Stapelia gigantea
- Stapelia glabricaulis
- Stapelia glabriflora
- Stapelia glanduliflora
- Stapelia grandiflora
- Stapelia hanburyana
- Stapelia hirsuta
- Stapelia immelmaniac
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- Stapelia knobelii
- Stapelia kougabergensis
- Stapelia kwebensis
- Stapelia leendertziae
- Stapelia lepida
- Stapelia macloughlinii
- Stapelia macowanii
- Stapelia maculosa
- Stapelia maculosoides
- Stapelia melanantha
- Stapelia mutabilis
- Stapelia obducta
- Stapelia olivacea
- Stapelia pachyrrhiza
- Stapelia paniculata
- Stapelia parvula
- Stapelia pearsonii
- Stapelia peglerae
- Stapelia pillansii
- Stapelia portae-taurinae
- Stapelia praetermissa var. luteola
- Stapelia praetermissa var. praetermissa
- Stapelia preastans
- Stapelia remota
- Stapelia rubiginosa
- Stapelia rufa
- Stapelia schinzii
- Stapelia scitula
- Stapelia tsomoensis
- Stapelia unicornis
- Stapelia variegata
- Stapelia vetula
- Stapelia villetiae
- Stapelia youngii
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External links
References
