Stapelia grandiflora

	*Stapelia grandiflora*	CACTUS ART NURSERY Cultivation and Mail Sale of Cacti and Succulents.

A plant grown in ground (Madeira island) in bloom and with a mature follicle full of seed. (Photo Ricardo - Madeira Island - Portugal)

(Photo Evagoras Vryonides - Canada) The white corpuscle are carrion fly eggs. The flies are attracted by the the flowers that smell like death, and frequently they deposes their eggs on the furry surface. Flies are wholly deceived and believe that the flower is the carrion of a dead animal.	Habit: Tufted creeping or procumbent plant that trail and hang down over the pot. Stems: pale green or reddish and slightly furrowed. Stems are quadrangular, a factor which allows expansion and contraction to compensate without harm for any excess or shortness of fluids inside; hence they may appear flat- or sunken-sided according to the availability of water. This is the "succulence" and a storehouse for nutrients, which are crucial to their survival in harsh, xeric habitats.
	A pollinating fly on a flower of Stapelia grandiflora with two pollinia stiked in the mandibles. (Photo Andrea B. Italy)
*A flowers visited by ant (Myrmecophily ?)* Photo By Viviana Argentina	*Stems are Tufted*

Family: Asclepiadaceae (Apocynaceae) (Milkweeds family)

Scientific name: Stapelia grandiflora

Origin: Southern Africa

Common names: Carrion Flower, Star Fish Flower, Giant Zulu, Giant toad plant.

Flowers of this species look very spectacular
(Photo Evagoras Vryonides - Canada)

In this corolla of Stapelia grandiflora a female of "green-bottle fly" (Lucilia sp.) comes to ovideposit a new packet of eggs... note that a lot of eggs (the white masses) were deposed before by another flies
[See: Sapromyophily]
Photo by Jean-Yves Cretin (France)

The gynostegium

The photo in this page has been kindly sent us by : Andrea B. (Italy), Viviana (Argentina),
Jean-Yves Cretin (France), Evagoras Vryonides (Canada), Ricardo (Madeira - Portugal),

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This plant description is based on research and personal experiences and is too short to provide a comprehensive coverage of the subject. Do you see an error in what is shown? Or do you know more about the species than we are showing? Your help is greatly appreciated. Why not send us an email with further information or photos so that we can correct or extend the information provided?

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