Read a commented carrion flower profile here with explanations of growth, flowering and beautiful Stapelia species. Tried-and-tested tips explain how to plant carrion flowers correctly and care for them professionally.
What is the carrion flower and how does it grow?
The carrion flower (Stapelia) is a South African succulent that stands out for its star-shaped, intensely smelling flowers. As a stem succulent, it grows 6-30 cm high and forms pointed leaves. Carrion flowers are easy to care for, hardy and can be propagated by sowing or cuttings.
Profile
- Scientific name: Stapelia
- Subfamily: Milkweed family (Asclepiadoideae)
- Family: Dogpoison family (Apocynaceae)
- Origin: South Africa
- Synonym: Order Star
- Growth type: stem succulent
- Growth height: 6 cm to 30 cm
- Growth habit: upright to prostrate
- Leaf: pointed
- Flower: single flower, star-shaped
- Fruit: Skin Fruit
- Winter hardiness: sensitive to frost
Growth
The carrion flower is a South African succulent with spectacular flowers and cactus-like shoots. From a botanical point of view, it is the genus Stapelia from the subfamily of milkweed plants (Asclepiadoideae) within the large family of dogpoison plants (Apocynaceae). The trademark that gives it its name is a strong smell of carrion. The unpleasant side effect is compensated for with these decorative growth properties:
- Growth type: stem succulent, evergreen plant, angular, cylindrical shoots, strikingly large flowers with an intense smell of carrion.
- Stems: mostly square, rarely five to six-sided, 6 cm to 30 cm high, 0.5 cm to 3 cm in diameter, green to blue-green, glabrous or fine hairy.
- Growth habit: basally branched, upright to prostrate.
- Gardeningly interesting properties: easy to care for, thornless, beginner-friendly, easy to propagate, representative ornamental value.
Bloom
The carrion flower is in a hurry to bloom for the first time. Stapelia variegata delights with picturesque starry flowers at the tender succulent age of three. The big sister Stapelia gigantea takes four to five years until flowers with these characteristics appear:
- Inflorescence: stalked single flower, five-petaled with double perianth (5 sepals, 5 fleshy petals).
- Flower crown: downy, bell-shaped, deeply cut, curved crown lobes up to 20 cm long (hence the synonymous name order star).
- Flower colors: flesh-colored, light yellow, brown-red, purple, horizontally striped or spotted.
- Special feature: intense carrion smell (hence the name carrion flower).
- Position: at the stem base.
- flower ecology: hermaphrodite
- Flowering time: May/June to September/October.
The carrion flower gives off an unpleasant smell for good reason. As a decoy flower, the clever Stapelia uses its blossom to simulate a rotting flesh wound. This attracts hordes of flies as pollinators.
Video: Stapelia grandiflora unfolds its splendor
Leaf
At first glance, the carrion flower appears to thrive without leaves. Upon closer inspection, rudimentary leaves can be seen with these features:
- Leaf shape: pointed, 1 mm to 3 mm long, pointing upwards.
- Leaf consistency: soft, finely hairy.
- Position: along the shoot edges.
Fruit
Flowers pollinated by flies transform into spindle-shaped follicles that are worth seeing. In correlation to the flower size, the fruits reach a length of up to 15 centimeters and a diameter of up to 2 centimeters. The delicately hairy pericarp encloses 60 to 140 brown seeds that have a tuft of white hair.
Species
The Stapelia genus contains more than 30 species, all of which are native to southern Africa. This trio of the most beautiful carrion flowers with star-shaped flowers is interesting for indoor gardeners:
| Carrion flower species | Stapelia grandiflora | Stapelia gigantea | Stapelia variegata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth height | 20-30 cm | 15-25 cm | 5-10 cm |
| Stem diameter | up to 3 cm | up to 2.5 cm | up to 1 cm |
| flower size | up to 22 cm | up to 40 cm | up to 9 cm |
| flower colors | brownish, brown-red | flesh-colored to purple-red | spotted yellow-reddish brown |
| Flower Hair | fluffy-white | light purple | bald |
Plant carrion flower
You can buy ready-to-plant carrion flowers in succulent specialist shops and online shops for a price of around 12 euros. Hobby gardeners prefer planting after propagation by sowing or cuttings. The decisive factors for the correct planting technique are the substrate quality and the shape of the container. A suitable location is quickly found. These tips and tricks explain how and where you can skillfully plant a carrion flower:
Propagation by sowing
Stapelia seeds are normal and light germinators. You can take seeds from ripe follicles or buy them from specialist retailers. The time window for easy sowing is open all year round. This is how it works:
- Fill the seed tray with coconut soil.
- Place seeds on the substrate at a distance of 5 mm to 10 mm.
- Sift the seeds very thinly, press down and moisten with a fine spray.
- Keep constantly slightly moist in a bright location at normal room temperatures.
- Germination time: at 22° Celsius 8 to 14 days.
- Prick out seedlings with a height of 10 cm in individual pots.
Propagation by cuttings
A carrion flower likes to donate one or two succulent stems as cuttings. Ideally, you pull the shoot and roots out of the ground. Plant the cutting in cactus soil so that it takes root. If the roots break, flatten the base of the trunk with a sharp knife. The cut should dry for a few days. Then plant the cutting in pricking soil so that it can form its own root system.
Planting Tips
Read these tips about what is really important when planting carrion flowers:
- The best time to plant is in spring.
- The perfect planter is a wide, shallow bowl with an opening at the bottom for water drainage.
- The carrion flower bowl is the right size if there is 4-6 cm of space between the root ball and the edge of the container.
- Recommended substrate is succulent soil (€12.00 on Amazon), which you can buy or mix yourself.
- Drainage made of expanded clay or lava granules prevents waterlogging.
- Freshly planted carrion flowers are watered from below (read more about this in the care instructions).
Location
If it stinks to high heaven during the summer flowering period, the carrion flower is best kept on the balcony. The South African succulent prefers to spend the rest of the year on the windowsill. All important location conditions for reading:
- Sunny to very bright location without blazing midday sun.
- Temperatures from spring to autumn: 18° to 30° Celsius.
- Temperatures in winter: 12° to 15° Celsius.
- Temperature minimum: 10° Celsius.
- Important: abrupt temperature fluctuations cause stress symptoms, such as yellow discoloration, stunted growth, loss of flowering or dropping of buds and flowers.
Before clearing out, the carrion flower completes an acclimatization phase in a partially shaded location. If harsh UV radiation suddenly hits the green epidermis of succulents, brown spots caused by sunburn are inevitable.
Excursus
Toxic to children and pets
Carrion flowers are permeated with a clear milky juice. As we know from other dog poison plants, this plant sap contains various toxins. In the family household, Stapelia should be kept out of the reach of small children, dogs, cats and rabbits. Hobby gardeners who are prone to allergies take the precaution of planting and caring for them by wearing gloves to protect them from the slightly toxic substances.
caring for carrion flowers
The carrion flower is easy to care for. The succulent plant is good-natured and forgives many a beginner's mistake. The following care tips get to the heart of all the important aspects:
Pouring
- Water carrion flower moderately and from below.
- Place the pot 8 cm deep in a bowl filled with rainwater.
- Place your finger on the substrate.
- Remove the pot from the water as soon as the surface of the soil feels moist.
- Let the substrate dry to the touch until the next dip.
Fertilize
- Fertilize Stapelia monthly from April to August.
- Add liquid cactus fertilizer to the immersion water.
Wintering
- From October to February, bright (1500 lux) overwinter at 12° to 15° Celsius.
- If necessary, compensate for the lack of light in winter with a daylight or plant lamp.
- Watere more sparingly (every 14-21 days) and do not fertilize.
Repotting
- Repot the carrion flower when the succulent stems collide with the edge of the container.
- The best time is in spring, at the end of wintering.
- If necessary, repotting in the fall is possible without any problems.
Cutting
Regular pruning care is not necessary. Occasionally, isolated shoots hang over the edge of the container and affect the well-groomed appearance. The troublemakers are removed with a courageous cut at the base of the trunk. Dust weeping cuts with cinnamon, rock dust or charcoal powder. If necessary, withered flowers and dried follicles can be cleaned out along with the stems.
Diseases, pests
Carrion flower gardeners rarely have to complain about disease or pest infestation. There is usually cause for concern due to care errors that are associated with unhe althy moisture. The following table provides tips on common malfunctions, their causes and effective countermeasures:
| malicious image | Cause | Countermeasure |
|---|---|---|
| Webs between the trunks | Spider mites | Spray shoots, increase humidity |
| Woolly Spots | Mealybugs, mealybugs | wipe with alcohol-soaked cloth, spray soap-spirit solution |
| Shriveled shoots | Drought stress | dip, from now on water more often from below |
| Brown, irregular spots after clearing out | Sunburn | 14 days in partial shade |
| Floppy, soft trunks | Cold stress | Observe minimum temperature of 10° Celsius |
| Rotten, soggy logs | Waterlogging, stem rot | repotting, watering more sparingly |
| Masty-bloated growth | Overfertilization | repotting, in the future add cactus fertilizer to the submerged water every 4-6 weeks |
Popular varieties
These beautiful carrion flower varieties enrich your succulent collection:
- Stapelia flavopurpurea: Rarity that does not give off an unpleasant smell, 10 cm long stems, 4 cm small star flowers, pale yellow on the outside, brown-red to light red on the inside.
- Stapelia leendertziae: impresses with 5 cm large, dark red bell-shaped flowers, 1 cm long, curved calyx tips and slim, matt green, shiny, square shoots.
- Stapelia divaricata: beautiful carrion flower species with hairless, pink-yellowish-white starry flowers at the base of 30 cm high, angular stems.
- Stapelia Huernia primulina: very rare carrion flower, whose small yellow flower stars are decorated with a dark red eye, growth height up to 30 cm.
FAQ
My Stapelia grandiflora is not blooming. Why is that?
An important prerequisite for the formation of buds and flowers is a winter rest period. Overwinter Stapelia grandiflora from October to February in a bright, cool location with temperatures of 12° to 15° Celsius. Extend the watering intervals to 14 to 21 days and adjust the nutrient supply.
What is the name of the carrion flower with star-shaped flowers?
Various species of plants are called carrion flowers because their flowers give off an unpleasant smell. These include Rafflesia species, whose rounded flowers lie on the ground, or Aaronic plants (Araceae) with flask-shaped inflorescences. The carrion flower with star-shaped flowers has the botanical name Stapelia and is assigned to the subfamily of the milkweed family (Asclepiadoideae).
What is the solution for carrion flower in the crossword puzzle?
We have identified these solutions for you: Orbea, Orche (5 letters), Hoodia (6 letters), Stapelia, Stapelie (8 letters), Order Star (11 letters) and Fly Flower (12 letters).
