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

plant Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

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 count ...

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 mechanism ...

s 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 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 endemism, endemic to Namibia. The flowers produced by the plant are quite unusual. They range from a bright yellow to greenish color and smell of beeswax. Refere ...

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

. 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,

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,

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 ''Echidnopsis ...

, Gonolobus,

Gonostemon ''Gonostemon'' is a genus of plants in the Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1812. ;Accepted species Over 70 names have been published for species assigned to ''Gonostemon'', most of the regarded as "unresolved," i.e., of uncertain af ...

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 Hoya may refer to: Places *Hoya, Germany, a city in Lower Saxony, Germany *County of Hoya, a former state in present Germany * Hoya, Tokyo, now incorporated within Nishi-tokyo, Tokyo, Japan * Hoya, Hpruso, a place in Hpruso Township, Kayah, Myanma ...

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 flower ...

, Monolluma,

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 model ...

Orbeopsis ''Orbeopsis'' is a genus of plants in the Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1978. They are 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. Nich ...

, Pachycymbium, Piaranthus, Quaqua, Stapelianthus, Stisseria, Tromotriche, Tridentea, Triplosperma)''

References

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