I've only got one, which flowered just now. In Africa, I landscaped the factory with these things, since they're native, but the local eat them for a hangover cure, so they didn't last.
The scent really does smell like rotten meat.

Lovely. Which species is it Tim? I'm always amazed more people don't grow this genus - some species have little or no scent.

A really satisfying looking flower!!

looks like S.variegata, I can almost smell it....lovely!
used to grow a lot of Stapelias, only grow the related Caralluma europea now, which being European may be better suited to my CP greenhouse...

It is orbea variagata. I used to grow this species but it never used to flower. It had a single flower when i bought it and that is all I ever saw. It grew rampantly though, cascading over the side of the pot.

I agree. Its Orbea variegata. I grow loads of these Stapeliads. The flowers are incredible and some of them stink, though personally, I've never found any to be objectionable. But that just proves that a sense of smell is a very personal thing (I like Sarracenia flava flowers for their scent!!).

Phil

What does this one look like? Didn't know there were European close relatives.

the power of Google....
http://www.cactuspro.com/photos.php?action=afficher&id=950

I first saw this growing in southern Spain about 10 years ago, and eventually found one in a cactus nursery last year.

Thanks Stephen. What a strange plant! Has many similarities with Stapelia including those concentric rings on the flowers. Is the 'foliage' really that mealy in the flesh?

Its from the same plant group, known collectively as Stapeliads. I was going to post a picture of C. europea but my plant has so far not flowered and the only pic I have is from the IAS CD, which would be an imfringment of copyright.

Instead, here is a picture of Stapelia kewbensis taken recently from my greenhouse. That's if I can work out how to post the pic...



Phil

Sexy! Now that one really looks like it smells....?

Stunning plants!! How do you grow them? I'm almost tempted to give them a try myself if they're relatively easy!

like cacti, gritty compost and water quite well in the summer, no water in winter, low humidity & temps above 7C or so.

Sounds fairly straight forward, thanks Stephen. Are they easy to get hold of?

Also, my brother's into cactii (or is it cacti?) sounds like a good idea for birthday or christmas pressie!

It does! To my nose close up it smells very chemically. From further off it is quite distinctive. You certainly know when that one is in flower as soon as you walk into the greenhouse. However, it certainly does not smell unpleasant, though I have heard it described as one of the foulest smelling flowers by some growers.

It really does show that more than anything else, our sense of smell is unique to the individual. Or maybe I'm just odd...

Phil

Most are easy to grow though some are more tricky in our long dull winters. Essentially the plants can be divided into two rough geographic groups. The easier to grow species come from the Cape region and north; along the edge of Namibia, into Kenya and other countries in south central Africa.

Plants in this region tend to experience warm summers but cooler winters, especially those that grow at higher altitudes, and are relatively easy to keep in a British climate.

The other geographical group occur in the desert and semi-desert regions of Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and no doubt other similar areas. The plants that come from this region like it hot - sorry I mean HOT! These are more problematic to keep in our climate without some sort of heat. I just about manage to keep plants from here alive by bringing them into the house for the winter - call it autumn and winter actually.

A good example of how hot these plants like it comes from an Italian friend. He had some seeds and seedlings in a small covered propagator kept outside. Usually he would open the vents to stop the plants inside from cooking before he went to work but one day he forgot. He came home in the evening to find half his cactus and succulent seedlings well and truly cooked, but - the Pseudolithos seeds that had refused to germinate for months had all germinated. Now that is tough. :-)

As for suppliers - there are plenty in the UK and Europe. I wouldn't really recommend getting plants now though as it will be tricky to establish them before the winter. With the weather the way it is now, I have pretty much stopped watering now and will not restart, unless we get some sunny weather, until the spring.

The best place to start looking is at the cactus mall - http://www.cactus-mall.com/

I have also found this nursery in Spain to be an excellent supplier - http://www.infonegocio.com/ortegacactus/

If you can't wait until spring, I probably have a few easy to grow species spare right now.

Phil

Thanks for the info Phil. Sounds like I should wait a while. I don't know how my own plants are going to survive the winter yet!

Just out of interest, what is the going rate for a plant like that?

Sorry about asking so many questions!

Cacti and succulents are mostly cheap compared to CPs - which is good news. :-) Most Stapeliads for instance will set you back a measly 2-3 pounds, though a nice Pseudolithos can cost many times more than this.

Phil

Oh Loakesey - getting into Stapeliads could have disastrous consequences.....things could snowball :-)
Mind, I'm promising myself a couple come Spring - love Phil's kewbensis

The older stems will get mealy, new ones are bright green.

Hmmm! Tempting! What plants do you have on offer? Do you have pictures?

I won't be getting any for myself (at least not yet) - my wife says there's no way we're having a smelly plant in the house, and my brother hasn't re-built his greenhouse after a move, but I am seriously interested!! 8)

They aren't all smelly, though a lot are! You can get some stunning Huernia for instance that are odorless.

As to pics, watch this space, or rather my web space. My winter project is to get my new website finished and on line by spring. Then again, I've heard myself say that one before...

Phil

Thanks Phil, you're a diamond!! I'll look forward to that! 8)

this nursey sells them http://website.lineone.net/~igandjm.robinson/plantlist.html

Doug & Vivi Rowland sell seed of several different genera of carrion flower, including Stapelia
200 Spring Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8ND 01234 358970, no website. Very cheap seeds!

Whitestone Gardens sell plants of several species too, roy@whitestn.demon.co.uk

stephen what other types of carrion are they

Stapelia Caralluma Fockea Hoodia Huernia to name a few. Generally all members of the Asclepiadaceae family.

I'm sure others will suggest some more...

cheers for that

I'm a complete and utter novice here, so if I do ever pick one of these plants, either for myself or my brother, I'm going to have rely entirely on other people's knowledge of which would be best. I'm even starting to get confused seeing all the different names. :?

How's that for a coincidence!
Yesterday the lady who delivers post at work spotted my wallpaper on my PC (a full screen of C. follicularis) and said that she would bring me in a plant. She said that she was given it by a friend in Belgium and she had never seen it in the UK.
This morning on my desk I had a bag with two stalks approx 10cm (4") long and a flower that she had put in to show me.

The flower is dark purple and very hairy. Approx 6cm (2.5") across. That diameter excludes the half of each petal that is entirely reflexed behind the flower. There are some small, semicircular, blade-like structures, standing out from the plane of the flower, which are arranged radially around the hairy centre.

When I opened the bag it smelt of carrion and that is what made me look at the thread!

I was thinking of putting it in the greenhouse as a kind of companion planting. When it flowers it should attract plenty of flies that the others can eat.
Cheers, Steve

Some sort of symbiotic relationship going on there!!

Its difficult to tell what species it is from description alone but my money would be on Stapelia gigantea. I have a plant that also fits this description, which is supposed to be S. pillansii but I'm convinced it isn't - more likely its some sort of S. gigantea hybrid.

As to attracting flies - its strange but they don't seem to attract that many. Those that do find the flower appear quite sluggist so there may be some sort of narcotic effect going on.

The flowers of Stapeliads is extremely complicated. The flowers produce pollinia, similar to orchids. The pollinia needs to be detached from where it sits in the flower structure and locked into a special receptor. Its a very tricky operation, which I have never yet tried. Apparently the best way is with a fine pin, some gel type superglue (to temporarily stick the pollinia to the pin) and a good magnifying glass. Presumably every flower has evolved to be pollinated by a specific insect.

Doug and Viv Rowland do have a web site BTW. http://www.cactus-mall.com/rowland/index.html

Also of interested is the IAS site - http://www.cactus-mall.com/ias/index.html. If you would like a taster of what Ascepliads there are check out Chris Moore's site - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/chris.moore30444/

Be warned though. These plants are addictive. I started with just a few plants a few years ago and now I have half a greenhouse full.

Phil

I'm amazed to discover that Stapeliads are related to Ascelpias - I have A. physocarpa in the garden: a shrubby Euphorbia-like plant with long lanceolate leaves and clusters of really bizarre white scrolled flowers. Awaiting the inflated seed-pods but may be too late in the year now.

I bet you greenhouse smells ripe if they all flower at the same time!!



Great website, thanks!

Its about the same effect as having 20 S. flava in flower at once.

Phil

the Pseudolithos are amazing!!!!!

You know, that doesn't actually sound too bad. I know my maxima was a little feline but not that unpleasant!!

By the way Tim, I'm sorry, I seem to have hijacked your thread somewhat!

Don't worry, I just thought people would enjoy the photo. I don't know what kind we had in Africa, but they were excedingly variable, and stunk like putrid meat. They were associated with the Koekerboom, those huge aloes which grow 30 feet plus. We only got 3 inches of rain per year, but in some areas they were all over the place.

Amazing but expensive, hard to find and just as hard to keep. I managed to find Pseudolithos miguirtinus this year. I just hope to be able to keep the thing alive for the next six months.

Almost as nice, slightly cheaper and slightly easier to find, is Larryleachia/Trichocaulon/Lavrania (the taxonomy is a little cloudy with this one!). It has the distinct advantage of coming from South Africa and Namibia and is so better suited to our weather. While these regions are not exactly known for their cold weather, its certainly cooler than Somalia

Phil

hows this for colourful...

http://www.mendelu.cz/user/hanacek/index046.htm

Some these plants really could come from another planet!
For some reason that reminds me of an apple with petals attached!!

Have I got any space left in my greenhouse...

cheers

bill

Wow!!

What an incredible structure for a flower, and I thought good-old S. variegata was spectacular in flower.

Huernia zebrina is available here:
http://www.baobabs.com/nbga_IN.htm
€ 5, but minimum order € 40
if anyone wants to do a bulk buy....?

I'd be up for that!

H. zebrina also has a "var" magnifica (or something similar...)

You can also get it from Ortega Cactus in Spain - http://www.infonegocio.com/ortegacactus/ He has H. zebrina var. magnifica and I know his plants are big - some are huge, especially for the price.

I'm certainly up for a joint order but certainly not now. As I've already said, by the time you get the plants it will be November and getting plants established at this time for the winter is not going to be fun or easy. Expect to lose a fair percentage unless you have somewhere with bottom heat and artificial light.

Ortega has a 30 Euro minimum order too.

Phil

lets pencil it in for next spring then....

Sounds good to me.

Hi guys,

Though some of you might appreciate this one. Its a Ceropegia radicans flower and has to rank as one of the most spectacular flowers in the plant kingdom. Ceropegia are part of the wider Stapeliad family but have a climbing habit. Some are tuberous and some produce few or no leaves.



Phil