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#Carrion flower full

#Carrion flower full

Many species live under shrubs in habitat and prefer light shade rather than full sun.Ī gritty compost is essential, and clay pots are advisable for the more delicate species. A heated growing bench or incubator may help delicate plants to get throught the colder months. A minimum winter temperature of 50☏ is acceptable, providing that plants are kept absolutely dry. Others, often those with slightly hairy stems and the more unusual flowers, are more challenging and require careful watering (with some fertiliser) during the growing season and complete withdrawal of water during the winter months. Several species are fairly easy to grow and Stapelia (Orbea) variegata is a well known cottage windowsill plant.

Flowering Stapelia grandiflora on a U.K.

The red and yellow-lined petals are fringed with dark hairs. It is likely a hybrid with Stapelia revoluta as one parent. This succulent plant was raised from seed in the Imperial Garden of Vienna, and is unknown as a wild plant. As with other Stapeliads, they are prone to attack by mealy bugs and root mealy bugs. A minimun Winter temperature of 50☏ is tolerated if kept bone-dry. However, it is important that they are sparingly watered and planted in a very freely-draining potting mix and given plenty of diffuse sunlight as otherwise they are prone to disintegrate into a heap of rotten stems. Stapelias grow well and are often seen as window-ledge plants. flavopurpurea have sweetly scented flowers. This explains their popular name of "carrion flowers". It is common to see a blow-fly (green-bottle) on a Stapelia flower and they often lay their eggs in the centre of the bloom.

The surface can be brightly polished or matted with hairs, and most species produce a putrid odour of rotting carrion to attract blow flies as pollinators. Stapelia have unusual, often large five-lobed flowers, which may be red, purple or yellow, often with interesting banded patterns. Stems grow erect, branching mainly from the base, and may develop a reddish colour in strong sunlight. Stapelia stems are leafless, four-angled with toothed edges and may be pubescent. Stapelia was historically merged with Orbea. The genus Stapelia has been reduced in scope somewhat by transfer of Asian and South American species to other genera.

The genus Stapelia comprises a challenging and rewarding group of some 50 species of clump-forming stem succulents from Southern Africa.