Description
Stapelia gigantea (Apocynaceae). Carrion Plant. The stems are succulent and soft, with a somewhat velvety texture from short ‘hairs’ all over it. The leaves are reduced to soft and dry papery remnants only about a millimeters in length, at the tips of the tubercles, and have lost their function of producing food for the plant. The flowers are of course the surest giveaway. They appear in the spring or summer. The flower ‘buds’ are already very distinctive: large and inflated like a bladder, with the petals all joined together and extended forward into a lengthened, spirally twisted tip. The flower is starfish-shaped with five petals the tips of which are long and thin. The background color of the flower ranges from pale yellowish, even almost cream, to brownish or reddish. Sowing : Sow seed in spring in a well-drained, light, sandy soil mixed with compost and cover with a thin layer of soil. Keep the temperature at 25°C to 35°C, in a shaded and fairly moist position. Keep plants well ventilated and in good light to prevent damping off. Treat the seedling medium with a fungicide. Locality : Stutterheim. Harvest : September 2021
