#stapelia

A common greenbottle fly (Lucilia sericata) inside a cultivated carrion flower (Stapelia gigantea) in Georgia, USA

Stapelia gigantea

This is one of the "stapeliads", succulents that typically form clumps of cylindrical stems. Many species occur in Africa and Arabia, and they all have remarkable 5-pointed flowers. Some, like this one, emit a foul odor in order to attract flies as pollinators. The stapeliads were fomerly placed in the Milkweed Family, but this whole family has now been rolled into the related Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae). Stapelia gigantea has a large distribution in northeastern South Africa, as well as in 9 other countries in southern Africa. The lower photo shows the central part of the flower.

Looks like my stapelia is going to bloom again.

And maybe, it's the reason of today's troubles (or maybe there's something else). Today I found an army of flies on the window! My room is relatively clean - yes t's a mess, but a clean mess, without any food remains, dirty mugs etc., I'm generally cautious about this. It all made me really angry, I had to wash the window, and will do some cleaning.

Did a restock at the Chocolati Greenwood storefront! Added some Stapelias, for fans of upsettingly fleshy-looking flowers! The stems feel velvety too! Very stimmy.

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 grandiflora). The plant is native to the desert regions of South Africa to Tanzania.

Growing up to 20 cm (8 in) tall, it is a clump-forming succulent with erect green stems 3 cm (1.2 in) thick. The blooms are large star-shaped five-petalled flowers up to 25 cm (9.8 in) in diameter. The flowers are red and yellow, wrinkled, with a silky texture and fringed with hairs, that can be as long as 8 mm (0.3 in). They bloom in autumn, triggered by the shorter daylight hours.

The flowers have the smell of rotting flesh, in order to attract the flies which pollinate them. [...] There have been several proposed reasons for the size of the flowers of S. gigantea. First, it is possible that they are large to attract the flies that pollinate them. The large size and color of the flowers combined with the carrion smell may cause the flies to behave as if it is a dead carcass and be more likely to visit it