Carrion flower

Description:

Known globally as African starfish flowers or locally as carrion flowers, members of the genus Stapelia are usually characterized by their foul-smelling flowers reminiscent of the odour of rotting meat. The hairs, coloration and surface mimic decaying animal matter and attract mostly flies, which act as pollinators. The strong carrion scent is sometimes recognizable at a great distance, especially on hot afternoons.Stapelias are low, perennial succulents. The stems, their surface and branching make them immediately recognizable. The stems are almost always erect and are usually uniformly green to reddish, depending on the extent of exposure to the sun.

Habitat:

Stapelia is native to the arid regions of tropical and southern Africa, in Botswana, Zimbabwe and especially in Namibia and South Africa where about 43 species occur. Outside this region they are also found in southern Angola, scattered in northern Zambia, southern Malawi and central Mozambique. Collections from southern Tanzania and Kenya are probably of plants that have escaped from cultivation. Plants are found in nearly all habitats, but mostly in well-drained soils in the drier regions. In South Africa they are widely distributed, but concentrated around the mountainous edge of the country. It is absent from the sandy central parts of the Kalahari, the most arid areas of the Namib and the wetter, higher parts of the Drakensberg.

Notes:

Parts of St apelia gigantea have been reported to be used by the Zulus as a remedy for hysteria. This plant was photographed in cultivation.