''Stapelia'' is a genus of low-growing, spineless,

stem succulent Stem succulents are fleshy succulent columnar shaped plants which conduct photosynthesis mainly through their stems rather than their leaves.Frerea indica, a Stem Succulent CAM Plant with Deciduous C₃ Leaves, Otto L. Lange and Margit Zuber, Oeco ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s, predominantly from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

with a few from other parts of Africa. Several Asian and Latin American species were formerly included but they have all now been transferred to other genera. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s of certain species, most notably ''

Stapelia gigantea ''Stapelia gigantea'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Stapelia'' of the family Apocynaceae. Common names include Zulu giant, carrion plant and toad plant (although the nickname "carrion plant" can also refer to '' Stapelia grandifl ...

'', can reach 41 cm (16 inches) in diameter when fully open. Most ''Stapelia'' flowers are visibly hairy and generate the odor of rotten flesh when they bloom.

Description

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 genus ''Stapelia'' the common name of carrion flowers. A notable exception is the sweetly scented ''

Stapelia flavopurpurea ''Stapelia flavopurpurea'' is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is endemic to Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares lan ...

''. Such odours serve to attract various specialist pollinators including, in the case of carrion-scented blooms,

blow flies The Calliphoridae (commonly known as blow flies, blow-flies, carrion flies, bluebottles, greenbottles, or cluster flies) are a family of insects in the order Diptera, with almost 1,900 known species. The maggot larvae, often used as fishing b ...

of the

diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

n family

Calliphoridae The Calliphoridae (commonly known as blow flies, blow-flies, carrion flies, bluebottles, greenbottles, or cluster flies) are a family of insects in the order Diptera, with almost 1,900 known species. The maggot larvae, often used as fishing ba ...

. They frequently lay eggs around the coronae of ''Stapelia'' flowers, convinced by the plants' deception.PlantZAfrica.com, Stapelia Info
/ref>

Cultivation

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.TheLovelyPlants.com
TheLovelyPlants.com

Species

;Accepted speciesThe Plant List, genus ''Stapelia''
/ref> ;Species formerly included now transferred to other genera ''(

Angolluma ''Angolluma'' is a genus of succulent plants in the family Apocynaceae, native primarily to northern-hemisphere Africa, with some species in southern Africa. Unlike the closely related genus ''Orbea Orbea is a bicycle manufacturer based in M ...

Brachystelma The genus ''Brachystelma'' is represented by over a hundred species in the world, chiefly distributed in South Africa, South-East Asia and Australasia. In India, 17 species are known to occur, of which nine are endemic. Species The genus contain ...

Caralluma ''Caralluma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, consisting of about 120 species. In 1795 William Roxburgh published the name '' Stapelia adscendens'' for a plant found in India. He commented that the name for the plant ...

Duvalia ''Duvalia'' is a succulent plant genus in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, in the family Apocynaceae (dogbane). The genus was first described in 1812, named after the French physician and botanist Henri-Auguste Duval (1777-1814). Description ...

Echidnopsis ''Echidnopsis'' is a genus of succulent, cactus-like plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1871. They are native to eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. ;Accepted species ;Species formerly included ''Echidnopsi ...

Gonolobus ''Gonolobus'' is a genus of plant in family Apocynaceae, first described in 1803. It is native to South America, Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and the southern United States. ;Species * ''Gonolobus absalonensis'' - Martinique * ''G ...

, Gonostemon,

Hoodia ''Hoodia'' (; known locally as "ghaap" or "bobbejaanghaap") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, under the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, native to Southern Africa. One species of ''Hoodia'' in particular, ''Hoodia gordonii'', ...

, Hoya,

Huernia The genus ''Huernia'' (family Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae) consists of perennial, stem succulents from Eastern and Southern Africa and Arabia, first described as a genus in 1810.Brown, Robert. 1810. On the Asclepiadeae 11 The flowers ...

Monolluma ''Monolluma'' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogban ...

Orbea Orbea is a bicycle manufacturer based in Mallabia, Spain. It is part of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation and Spain's largest bicycle manufacturer. Orbea manufactures and assembles bikes at their own factory in Mallabia, the other models ...

, Orbeopsis, Pachycymbium,

Piaranthus ''Piaranthus'' is a succulent plant genus in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, in the family Apocynaceae. It was first described in 1810. Its name comes from Greek and is descriptive of the fleshy, succulent flowers typical of the genus (''"piar-" ...

Quaqua The genus ''Quaqua'' falls within the tribe of plants known collectively as stapeliads. All stapeliads, including ''Quaqua'', are Old World stem succulents. Species of the genus ''Quaqua'' are exceptionally varied and endemic to southwestern ...

, Stapelianthus, Stisseria,

Tromotriche ''Tromotriche'' is a genus of plant in family Apocynaceae. It is native to southern Africa.Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southe ...

Tridentea ''Tridentea'' is a genus of succulent plant in the family Apocynaceae, endemic to southern Africa. Name and history ''Tridentea'' was first described as a genus in 1812, and its name refers to the three "teeth" on each interstaminal segment of ...

, Triplosperma)''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q163930 Apocynaceae genera Flora of Africa Succulent plants